Scotland - Czech Republic Preview

Ahead of tomorrow's European Championship Qualifier, Adam (AH) and Craig (CH) take a look at the two sides and make an assessment so that you don't have to. To refresh your memory, here's what the Group I table currently looks like:

Clipped from Wikipedia

SCOTLAND

CH: The Tartan Army will be hoping for a much more positive approach from Craig Levein after he played no strikers when these two sides met in Prague last October. Only Iain Turner has dropped out of the squad, being replaced by David Marshall but barring an injury Allan McGregor will start in goal. Kris Commons was a surprise exclusion but returns from injury from Alan Hutton, Steven Naismith and Darren Fletcher will hand Scotland a boost. However Hutton and Fletcher have not yet played a competitive game this season and so giving them a starting place may be a risk. Levein also has to decide who will partner Gary Caldwell at the heart of the defence and whether he will play Miller up front on his own or with a strike partner, as Scotland need a win. Scotland will be hoping for a similar display to their last game against Denmark which they won 2-1 following an impressive defensive performance. Defeat in this game could spell the end of Scotland’s pursuit of a place in a major finals for the first time since 1998. Victory however closes the gap on the Czechs to two points and Scotland still have a game in hand, against Lithuania next week. Scotland will hope to have these two victories in the bag before heading to Spain to play the group leaders in October.

AH: After a decent performance against Denmark in a friendly last month, Scotland fans might get their hopes up for three points tomorrow. When these two last met in Prague, Craig Levein adopted a horribly defensive approach and was duly punished for it. That game, coupled with an equally shit performance in Lithuania, mean that Scotland now have to win this game to stand any realistic chance of reaching the play-offs. With no first team injuries, Levein can select a strong, attacking eleven and go for the win from kick off. Alan Hutton, Darren Fletcher and Steven Naismith have all been passed fit, but don't be surprised if they start on the bench; Hutton and Fletcher haven't played yet this season. Kenny Miller should start, but it's practically impossible to say for certain whether he'll start with a strike partner or on his own. Rather than the usual 4-5-1, Scotland need to be able to play a 4-4-2 or at least a more attacking 4-4-1-1 and really take the game to the Czechs for this must win game. Anything other than a win and Scotland simply will not qualify for another major tournament again.

From:
Goalkeepers: Matt Gilks (Blackpool), Allan McGregor (Rangers), David Marshall (Cardiff City)

Defenders: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland), Christophe Berra (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Gary Caldwell (Wigan Athletic), Stephen Crainey (Blackpool), Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers), Alan Hutton (Tottenham Hotspur), Steven Whittaker (Rangers), Danny Wilson (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Charlie Adam (Liverpool), Barry Bannan (Aston Villa), Scott Brown (Celtic), Don Cowie (Cardiff City), Graham Dorrans (West Bromwich Albion), Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), James Forrest (Celtic), James Morrison (West Bromwich Albion), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United)
Forwards: David Goodwillie (Blackburn Rovers), Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton and Hove Albion), Kenny Miller (Cardiff City), Steven Naismith (Rangers)

CZECH REPUBLIC

CH: Czech Republic only have one notable absentee for the clash at Hampden, Petr Cech misses out through injury so head coach Michal Bilek will look to Jaroslav Drobny or Jan Lastuvka to deputise. Other than this Bilek has a full strength squad to choose from and will be able to select a strong side. The Czechs will be looking to improve on their performance following their last game, a disappointing 3-0 loss to Norway. Currently sitting five points ahead of Scotland, having played a game more, a draw would suit Czech Republic better as both teams chase Group I’s runners up spot behind Spain.

AH: The absence of Petr Cech will be devastating for the Czechs, regardless of what striker Milan Baros believes. Jaroslav Drobny looks likely to replace him, but with only three previous caps, he could well prove to be a liability. They might not be as strong as they were a couple of years ago, but the Czech Republic are still more than capable of causing Scotland a lot of problems. Baros will trouble Caldwell, and although he's looked sluggish at Arsenal, Rosicky has the vision and passing ability to put Scotland on the backfoot. A draw would certainly suit the Czechs, and they might well play for one, but I'm sure head coach Michal Bilek won't copy Levein's embarrassing 4-6-0 formation.

From:
Goalkeepers: Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg), Jan Lastuvka (Dnepropetrovsk), Ales Hruska (Pribram)
Defenders: Zdenek Pospech (Mainz), Jan Rajnoch (Ankaragucu), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas), Theo Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec), Roman Hubnik (Berlin), Daniel Pudil (Genk), Petr Jiracek (Viktoria Pilsen), Michal Kadlec (Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal), Tomas Hubschman (Shakhtar Donetsk), Daniel Kolar (Viktoria Pilsen), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Kamil Vacek (Sparta Prague), Jan Rezek (Famagusta), Vaclav Pilar (Viktoria Pilsen), Milan Petrzela (Viktoria Pilsen)
Strikers: Milan Baros (Galatasaray), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomas Pekhart (Nuremberg)

Form (All Competitions):
Scotland (Last five at home): L-W-W-W-W
Czech Republic (Last five away): D-L-L-D-L