Czechia vs England: Three Lions need to avoid repeat of relegation campaign

Czechia vs England: Three Lions need to avoid repeat of relegation campaign England will be aiming to record their first win in the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League away at Czechia on Tuesday evening. The Three Lions lost 3-2 to Spain in their opening game , but produced an encouraging display that they can take into this game. They showed character to recover from conceding an early goal and may have prevented a defeat if Harry Kane had converted his penalty in the second half. Thomas Tuchel still has to sort out England’s defensive weaknesses, but should be confident against a Czechia side that have won just one of their past five games. They have won four, drawn one and lost one out of their five past games against Czechia, although this is their first meeting in the Nations League. England are sweating over the fitness of Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly. Still, they would be overwhelming favourites if the Arsenal and Manchester City defenders were to miss this game. The Three Lions will control possession, but will need to play with a high tempo and decisiveness in the final third. Jude Bellingham’s ability to drive past defences and Anthony Gordon’s directness would be pivotal for Tuchel’s side. The pair enjoyed a great game against Spain. Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka, if he starts, and Harry Kane need to do better than they did in Saturday’s defeat to Luis de la Fuente’s side. England were relegated from the top tier after a difficult 2022/23 Nations League campaign that started slowly, underscoring the importance of securing points in their opening games this time around.