England return to Wembley after producing their best performance under Thomas Tuchel, while Czechia arrive without a point from their opening three Nations League matches. England won the reverse fixture 2–0 in Prague and should create enough chances to record another comfortable victory.

England scored seven against Croatia

England’s Nations League campaign began with a 3–2 defeat against Spain, but their response has been impressive.

They followed a 2–0 victory over Czechia with a remarkable 7–0 win against Croatia. Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored twice, while Jude Bellingham finished with one goal and three assists.

England controlled the match from the beginning and were already four goals ahead at half-time. Croatia were unable to handle their movement, with Kane regularly dropping deeper and creating space for Saka, Bellingham and Anthony Gordon.

It was a major improvement from the reverse fixture against Czechia. England dominated possession in Prague but needed until the second half to open the scoring, despite playing against ten men for most of the game.

Tuchel will want a faster start at Wembley.

Rotation is England’s main concern

England are missing several important players. Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento were already unavailable before Alex Scott, Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly left the squad.

Scott started against Croatia and impressed before suffering a thigh injury. His absence could give James Garner or Myles Lewis-Skelly an opportunity in midfield.

Tuchel has also admitted that changes are possible after four matches in less than two weeks. Harry Kane has started the previous three games, although he is one appearance away from matching Peter Shilton’s record of 125 England caps.

Even with several changes, England should still field a team strong enough to dominate Czechia.

Czechia have lost every group match

Czechia have made a poor start to the competition. They lost 2–1 against Croatia before defeats against England and Spain left them at the bottom of the group.

Their most recent match ended in a 3–1 defeat in Spain. Czechia managed to score in the second half, but Ladislav Krejčí was later sent off and will be suspended at Wembley.

Krejčí’s absence is a major problem. Czechia will already spend long periods defending, and losing an experienced player from the centre of the team makes the task even more difficult.

They have now lost four consecutive matches and have scored only twice during that run. Their defensive approach kept the reverse meeting close for more than an hour, but England still created several chances after taking the lead.

Czechia are likely to use another compact defensive shape at Wembley. The challenge will be maintaining it for the entire match against an England team playing with far more confidence.

England should dominate at Wembley

England have six points and remain three behind Spain at the top of the group. They cannot afford to drop points before travelling to face Spain in November.

That should remove any concern about a relaxed performance. Tuchel may rotate the starting lineup, but England still need the victory to remain in contention for first place.

Czechia are under pressure to collect their first points, although an attacking approach would leave them vulnerable. They struggled when Spain increased the tempo and should face similar problems against England.

A standard England victory offers little value, while the larger handicaps become more difficult to trust because of possible rotation.

England -2 Asian Handicap provides a better balance. A victory by exactly two goals returns the stake, while England must win by at least three for the bet to succeed.

The first meeting finished 2–0, meaning the same result would not lose the bet. England’s performance against Croatia also showed that a bigger victory is realistic if they score early.

Verdict

Czechia made England work for the victory in Prague, but the circumstances are less favourable this time. Krejčí is suspended, Czechia have lost all three group matches and England return to Wembley after scoring seven against Croatia.

Rotation could prevent another huge scoreline, but England should control possession and create chances throughout the match.

A 3–0 or 4–0 victory looks possible. The Asian handicap protects the stake if England repeat their two-goal victory from the reverse fixture.

Tip

England -2 Asian Handicap