Czechia and Türkiye both enter Wednesday’s final round of Group F fixtures with their place in the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 on the line.
By Graham Ruthven
A point against Georgia was disappointing for Czechia, but put them in a position to make it out of the group stage with a positive result against Türkiye who already have a win over Georgia under their belt.
Patrik Schick was forced off in the second half of that draw against Georgia with an injury and is a doubt for this crunch match in Hamburg. His absence would be a blow to Czechia such is the importance of the Bayer Leverkusen forward to his national team.
While Czechia have scored in both matches they have played at Euro 2024, they have demonstrated a lack of attacking invention with the 27 shots Ivan Hašek’s team had against Georgia counting for just one goal.
Türkiye, on the other hand, played an open attacking game against Georgia before a calamitous display against Portugal which saw Samet Akaydin score a ridiculous own goal and Vincenzo Montella team’s 2-0 down after just 28 minutes. Montella will hope for a more consistent level against Czechia.
Arda Güler was bizarrely dropped to the bench for the game against Portugal after scoring a long-range strike from outside the box in the victory over Georgia. The Real Madrid attacker will surely come back into the lineup with Türkiye in need of a positive result to be certain of their place in the next round.
Juventus youngster Kenan Yıldız could also start to give Montella’s team more attacking threat in the wide areas, something they desperately lacked in the insipid performance against Portugal. Türkiye must play on the front foot to show they deserve to make it through the group stage.
The omens are good for Türkiye who have won their last three matches played against Czechia on foreign soil. They have also scored two or more goals in each of those games. Czechia, meanwhile, can draw confidence from the run they made in Euro 2020, when they unexpectedly made the quarter-finals.
Czechia’s approach could determine how entertaining Wednesday’s match is. If they sit back and invite pressure like they did against Portugal, the game could be a grind for all concerned. If, however, they get out and attempt to go toe-to-toe with Türkiye, it could be an open encounter with plenty at stake.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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