Euro 2020 qualifiers: Czech Republic v England preview, free tip & TV details

Football tips, best bets and predictions for Czech Republic v England in Euro 2020 qualifying.

Where to watch

ITV, 7.45pm Friday

Best bet

England to win & over 2.5 goals
1pt 13-10 BoyleSports

Team news

Czech Republic
Filip Novak, David Hovorka, Marek Suchy, Tomas Kalas and David Pavelka are not available.

England
James Maddison has withdrawn from the squad. Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard were among those dropped for poor club form.

Match preview

England went into the latest round of Euro 2020 qualifying with the best goals-per-game tally on the continent and the great entertainers could once again put on a show against the Czech Republic in Prague.

Gareth Southgate's side have scored 19 goals in just four matches - an average of nearly five per game - and it all started with a 5-0 rout of Czech Republic at Wembley in March.

England have since put five past Kosovo and Montenegro and hit four against Bulgaria. As they get ready for the European Championship finals there is plenty to admire about Southgate's striking power.

Raheem Sterling notched a hat-trick against the Czechs in the reverse fixture and Harry Kane is already on six goals for this qualifying campaign - the pair have combined beautifully at times.

The third forward in the formation will be either Jadon Sancho or Marcus Rashford with the Borussia Dortmund winger rumoured to have done enough to edge out the Manchester United man by scoring a brace in the kamikaze 5-3 triumph over Kosovo last time out.

Mason Mount's excellent form at Chelsea could also see him involved and, with a wide choice of attacking full-backs too, expect England to play on the front foot. They haven't really got a choice.

Even before finding a slick way of playing, England usually cruise in this early stage of the competition and they have scored at least three goals in nine of their last 11 European Championship qualifying fixtures.

Southgate's concern is balance and that wide-open nature could be the difference between success and failure when the serious business comes around next summer.

Kosovo scored three times at St Mary's and a desperate Bulgaria saw the whites of Jordan Pickford's eyes too often for Southgate's liking.

Michael Keane's iffy performances for Everton and Joe Gomez's lack of minutes at Liverpool are not helping England's planning, while international novice Declan Rice has not totally solved the problematic midfield anchor role.

It should still be enough to overcome Czech Republic, who got themselves back into the qualification picture with a crucial 3-0 success away to Montenegro as they partially recovered from the disappointment of a 2-1 loss away to Kosovo.

Anything picked up against England would be a welcome surprise, but they can play their part in an attack-minded game.

All six of Czech Republic's 2019 fixtures have produced at least three goals and they have scored in their last nine at home, with Patrik Schick the man most likely to cause England problems.