Slovakia v Czech Republic: Match Preview

You could be forgiven for thinking that Group 3 had been turned upside down on first glances, as Slovakia head the standings on 15 points, followed by Northern Ireland with 13 points. It really is quite astonishing to see everyone’s favourites for the group, Czech Republic, languishing in 5th place with a rather embarrassing 8 points.

Stability (and of course the retirement of Pavel Nedved!) may well be a contributing factor towards the poor performances the Czech Republic have shown throughout the qualification process. Long serving coach Karel Bruckner left his post after seven years in charge following the teams exit from Euro 2008 at the hands of Turkey. Since then, three men have been trusted with the responsibility of ensuring the team qualify for the upcoming World Cup. Bruckner’s replacement and right-hand man Petr Rada was relieved of his duties in April of this year, having only won two out of his six qualifiers in charge. This was followed by the temporary appointment of Frantisek Straka, who was informed after one game (a 1-0 friendly triumph over Malta if you’re interested) that his services were no longer required.

So with their qualification hanging in the balance, the Czech FA has temporarily appointed it’s own president, Ivan Hasek, as national team coach until the end of the qualifiers. Already Hasek has pulled off something of a major coup in convincing all-time record goalscorer Jan Koller out of international retirement for the campaign. The tall striker, who has scored 55 goals in 90 appearences for his country, retired from the international scene after the teams exit from last summer’s Euro tournament. Hasek however, clearly believes that the 36 year old still has something to offer the national team and is likely to re-kindle his partnership with Milan Baros, with whom he terrorised defences in Euro 2004, World Cup 2006 and Euro 2008. Koller, who know plys his trade with Krylia Sovetov Samara in Russia, has played down his return, saying “I’m here to help. I feel fine…but I’m not a saviour.”

Perhaps the biggest dilemma Hasek faces in the build up to tomorrow’s game is what role former captain Tomas Rosicky will play. The Arsenal playmaker, who has been a vital cog in the Czech midfield since making his debut at the age of 19 in 2000, hasn’t kicked a competitive ball in anger since January 26th 2008, when he was taken off injured after only nine minutes of Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with Newcastle. Despite making his comeback this pre-season, another niggling injury has kept him out of action until now, but it’s now or never for Hasek and he faces a huge decision with regards to Roscky.

In terms of the opposition, Hasek’s men will have to be wary of Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik who is a lively box to box midfielder. The Slovak’s are also sweating on the fitness of Miroslav Karhan, who sprained his ankle playing for club FC Mainz.

Prediction: Slovakia 1 – 3 Czech Republic…The Czech’s need a win and I expect their determination to show through.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 4th, 2009 at 7:53 pm by jacko_dale.