Czech Republic captain Ladislav Krejčí has promised to try and repeat one of his nation’s greatest-ever victories when they face England on Tuesday night at the Fortuna Arena in Prague.
England lost in the same stadium in 2019, a defeat that ended a sequence of 43 games unbeaten in qualifiers. Wolves defender Krejčí, 27, is dreaming of another famous night and upset against England.
Krejčí recalls famous 2019 victory
Krejčí said: “I remember I watched it on TV. I didn't play back then but it was really a great victory for the whole nation because defeating one of the best European and world teams in football is great. It's the kind of thing that shows us that even a little nation like us can do a feat like this, so that's why we go into this game with this motivation.”
“Really, that's the greatest thing when you represent your country. When you play against these kind of players and teams, and when you manage to defeat them. It would really mean a lot if we could replicate that.”
Krejčí will come back into the Czech starting XI after missing their Nations League opener against Croatia on Saturday. The former Girona defender says that he will be ready and also playing in England will give him extra insight and motivation.
New boss Denia out to avenge grudge
Krejčí said: “I’m feeling good. I’m back in the team. I’m back in training and I feel ready. The decision is up to the coach but I feel good.”
“I have special motivation for every match, especially these strong teams. When you play against teams like this. It’s not something you experience every week. This is a great opportunity to show we can play against teams like this so I’m very motivated.”
The Czech Republic finished bottom of their group at the World Cup and they have a new manager in former Spain youth coach Santi Denia. Denia was in charge for both games when Spain lost to England in the under-17s World Cup in 2017 and again in the under-21s European Championships in 2023.
Denia praises England’s development
The Czech boss was glowing about England’s improvements, their style and also insisted they are on the right path despite all the talk about England’s weaknesses in style and DNA.
Denia said: “The development of the FA is unbelievable. They have invested a lot of money in their young players. The facilities. This is the way to grow. Invest a lot of money in young players.”
“The association give a lot of opportunities for performances with friendly games. I think it is one of the best federations in the world.”
“I think it’s very, very close. The level of Spain and England, also the clubs. The national teams are the same. You showed in the previous match, it’s very close. It’s details. I don’t want to compare both teams. It’s a different style. They are big teams, big coaches, big players.”
Denia hinted he might change the keepers from Newcastle’s Lukáš Horníček - who played well despite the defeat to Croatia - and may start with Tottenham’s No1 Antonín Kinský.
