Players who can improve their position in the national team during the barrage

The Czech national football team will face a World Cup barrage in Qatar on Thursday, with Sweden as their first opponent in the play-offs. Which players can play a key role, even though they are not among the main horses of Jaroslav Šilhavy’s team?

Jan Sýkora

When Sýkora came to Pilsen from Poznan as a guest before the season, he certainly didn’t expect such a successful season. However, he quickly caught on in the west of Bohemia and with three goals and six assists he helped the team to the top spot in the Fortuna Liga.

Sýkora wore the national jersey in the autumn and scored four goals. As one of the few Czech players, he is strong in one-on-one battles and could be a surprise in the absence of defensive players, even at left-back. If he plays well, he could be set for the next national team meetings.

Ondřej Lingr

Together with Ladislav Krejci Jr. they will go to their first A-team meeting. Lingr has asked for a nomination several times in the autumn, but he has only now got it. With 12 goals he is the third top scorer in the Fortuna Liga, and on Thursday he assisted in the European Conference League against Linz.

Patrik Schick will miss 99 percent of the game against Sweden, the situation surrounding Jan Kuchta’s return from Moscow is in doubt, and Adam Hložek is being counted on more as a backup. Lingr has his way into the lineup, if Jaroslav Šilhavý doesn’t give him confidence from the beginning, he will undoubtedly start.

Tomáš Petrášek

Experts have been praising Petrasek’s performances in Poland for several years, but he never got a proper chance in the national jersey. This time Ondřej Kúdela, Tomáš Kalas and Ondřej Čelůstka are missing in the nomination, so could it finally be a chance for the strongman from the Polish league?

Petrasek is the captain of Rakow and surprisingly holds second place in the Ekstraklasa with the small club. Only two points behind the first place, the chances for the title are still alive. A stopper with a winning mentality will be needed against a strong Sweden.

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