Česko plays in Osijek on Sunday facing a crucial match against Croatia in the final round of the UEFA Nations League group stage, Ruik reported.
The team enters the fixture seeking its first points in the group while fighting to avoid relegation from League A.
Beyond maintaining their spot in the top tier, Santi Denia’s squad needs a victory to secure a place in Pot 1 for the upcoming Euro 2028 qualifying draw, BetArena.cz reported. While a draw or even a loss might suffice to avoid relegation depending on other group results, only a win guarantees the top-seed qualifying protection.
Bookmakers list the hosts as clear favorites with odds of 1.58 on a home victory, compared to 5.40 for a Czech win and 4.30 for a draw, according to BetArena.cz. Croatia previously defeated the Czech side 2-1 in Prague during the September fixtures.
“Čeká nás zápas jako finále mistrovství světa. A podle toho se na něj připravujeme. Věříme, že máme kvalitu na to, abychom uspěli,” said Santi Denia, as reported by Sport.cz.
Denia must navigate multiple roster adjustments ahead of the kickoff at Opus Arena. Captain Ladislav Krejčí is unavailable due to an accumulation of yellow cards, Sport.cz reported.
Additional complications arose right before departure as Štěpán Chaloupek, Martin Šubert, and Lukáš Provod left the team. Chaloupek and Provod fell ill with fevers, FotbalZpravy.cz reported. Filip Prebsl and Matěj Jurásek joined the squad on short notice as replacements, Sport.cz reported.
Meanwhile, the Croatian roster features veteran stalwarts Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, and Joško Gvardiol, BetArena.cz reported. Kickoff is scheduled for 20:45 CET, with live television coverage provided by ČT sport, FotbalZpravy.cz reported.
Czech forward Adam Hložek emphasized the necessity of addressing slow starts that plagued the team throughout the campaign.
“Loňský zápas jsme moc neřešili. Chtěli bychom navázat na naše druhé poločasy. Myslím, že jsme tam měli dobré pasáže. Tentokrát pro nás bude důležité začít dobře hned od začátku,” Hložek told FotbalZpravy.cz.
Historical fixtures between the two nations highlight a challenging record for the Czech team. Across seven previous meetings dating back to 1996, the squad has earned four draws but never secured a win, BetArena.cz and FotbalZpravy.cz reported.
That head-to-head history includes a heavy defeat during qualification matches at the same Osijek venue, FotbalZpravy.cz reported.
The fixture is hosted at Opus Arena in Osijek, FotbalZpravy.cz reported.
The match begins at 20:45 CET on November 15, 2026, FotbalZpravy.cz reported.
Czech television network ČT sport carries the live broadcast, FotbalZpravy.cz reported.
Worth a look