The European Under-21 Championship has reached its final round of group games, and we begin with Group A on Tuesday. Czech Republic, the hosts, will be looking to build upon a stunning victory over Serbia in their second game, but they now come up against the strongest team in the tournament on paper, Germany.
A win guarantees passage to the semi-finals for both sides, but a draw would put the Czechs in danger of elimination.
The Details
Group A
Venue: Stadion Eden, Prague
Date: June 23, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
TV and Live Stream: BT Sport 1 & HD (UK) / UEFA.tv live stream
Czech Republic Preview
Not even the most optimistic Czech supporter could claim to foresee what Jakub Dovalil's men served up against Serbia, a 4-0 thrashing that could easily have turned into one of the most embarrassing scorelines in the competition's history.
They went on the attack after losing the first game against Denmark, swapping out the more cautious 4-1-4-1 and bringing in support striker Vaclav Kadlec. Playing just off Jan Kliment, he was in a destructive mood until he was substituted after 30 minutes with a twisted ankle.
He's been ruled out for three to four weeks and will play no further part in the tournament, but the good news is Michal Travnik, his replacement on the day, excelled in his place and is an easy choice for the XI. Jiri Skalak, too, was superb in place of Ladislav Krejci.
If the Lionets can replicate the intensity and vigour of their Serbia showing, anything is possible here.
Germany Preview
The Czechs may have set the stage early on Saturday with a crushing victory, but Germany matched that performance with a stunning one of their own. A 3-0 defeat of Denmark left us unquestioning in the assertion that Die Deutschen, for all intents and purposes, are fully up and running in this tournament.
Horst Hrubesch fixed the selection mistakes he made in their opener, benching Philipp Hofmann, playing Kevin Volland as the No. 9 and starting Leonardo Bittencourt and Joshua Kimmich. It gave the side purpose, mobility, movement and balance.
Given the nature of the performance, Hrubesch is extremely unlikely to make any changes. Even Dominique Heintz, who came in for Robin Knoche in defence, improved as the match progressed to shake off an unconvincing start.
An identical XI, still in the 4-2-3-1 formation, is expected.
Where the Game Will Be Won
After taking 20 minutes to find their feet against the Danes, the Germans clicked through the gears in a flash and found the ideal place to target with their passing: the channels between the full-backs and centre-backs.
Volland, splitting wide, and the wing duo of Amin Younes and Bittencourt consistently slipped behind the defensive line in the wide areas, and we lost count of the number of byline cutbacks and crosses Die Deutschen dug out.
It's reasonable to expect them to try the same method again, as it suits their playing strengths down to the ground. We're yet to see Max Meyer really contribute, suggesting there's even more to come.
Interestingly, this is the same method the Czechs used to put Serbia under intense pressure, encouraging left-back Matej Hybs and Skalak to hit the byline, widen the angles and cross the ball. Pavel Kaderabek, on the opposite side, remains a constant threat motoring forward too.
We're set to see two teams in similar formations trying to attack in the same fashion, but who will do it better? That will decide the game.
Prediction
It's difficult to split the two teams, given their mammoth performances on Matchday 2, so we give Germany the edge because of their raw quality and obvious playing-personnel advantage.
The hosts will have more than 15,000 people cheering them on in the stadium, which should level the field a little, but Die Deutschen take the victory and likely top spot in Group A with it.
Czech Republic 1-2 Germany
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