England travel to Prague looking for their first Nations League victory after losing 3–2 against Spain at Wembley. Czechia also began the group with a defeat, going down 2–1 against Croatia, leaving both teams under pressure to collect points at the Fortuna Arena.

England showed promise against Spain

England were punished for several defensive mistakes against Spain, but their attacking performance offered reasons for optimism. Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka found the net, while Harry Kane also had opportunities to score.

Thomas Tuchel’s team have plenty of quality going forward, but their problems at the other end remain difficult to ignore. England have now conceded in six consecutive matches and have kept only four clean sheets in thirteen games during 2026.

Tuchel is also missing several important players. Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento are unavailable, while Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly are doubts after missing training.

Despite those absences, England should still control much of the possession in Prague. Jude Bellingham, Kane, Saka and Gordon give the visitors enough attacking quality to cause Czechia problems throughout the match.

Czechia can threaten at home

Czechia were unable to take anything from their opening match against Croatia, but they managed to score and remained competitive until the end.

Playing at the Fortuna Arena should give them a better chance of creating opportunities against England. The hosts are unlikely to dominate possession, but they can defend in numbers and look to attack quickly whenever England lose the ball.

England’s recent defensive record will also give Czechia confidence. Tuchel’s side have looked vulnerable when opponents play through their first press, while changes in defence have made it difficult to build a settled back line.

Czechia may struggle to keep England quiet for the entire match, but scoring once at home looks realistic.

England should create plenty of chances

England are clear favourites and should have enough quality to win, but odds of 1.34 offer little value when their defence has been so unreliable.

England -1.5 is more tempting, although that would require the visitors to win by at least two goals. Czechia’s home advantage and England’s missing players make that a difficult option to trust.

England have scored 22 goals across their last nine competitive matches, while Czechia found the net against Croatia in their opening game.

The visitors should score, but another clean sheet is far from guaranteed.

Verdict

England have the stronger team and should create the majority of the chances. Czechia can still make this uncomfortable, especially against an England defence that continues to give opponents opportunities.

Both teams need a result after losing their opening matches, which should lead to an open game as it develops.

Tip

Both Teams to Score