The Czech national team will have a busy May. After the tournament in Baku, they will play Ghana

Three of the last four European champions in small-sided football will compete in the international tournament, which takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 1 to 6 May. Alongside the reigning European champions at home, who won the competition in Košice, Slovakia, last June, the Czech national team, their predecessors on the continental throne, and the players from Kazakhstan, the 2016 champions, have also received invitations.

The international tournament is organised by the Azerbaijan Federation of Small Football to mark the centenary of the birth of the country’s former president Heydar Aliyev. South Africa, France, Georgia, Italy, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine complete the aforementioned trio of participants.

“We want to play the maximum number of six matches, such a confrontation can not be replaced in any other way, so we have developed activity to fly there. We are expecting great quality and of course a spoiled environment, because Azerbaijan wants to host the World Cup for 2025 and they are taking this tournament as a test to see if they can organize such an event and if the teams will be satisfied. We are very much looking forward to it,” said Luděk Zelenka, general manager of the national A team.

The national team will start its game preparation in Baku ahead of the World Cup, which will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates from 26 October to 4 November.

“We always plan our preparation according to the possibilities of the association and we have evaluated that the preparatory tournament in Baku is probably the most we can do this season. Although it will be five months before the event, but such a confrontation will be terribly important,” explained Zelenka.

The Czech national team will then play two matches against Ghana, who are planning a week-long stay in the Czech Republic, between 25 and 30 May.

“This is an opponent we don’t normally meet. Since we will be facing each other on two different days, probably Thursday and Monday, we can field a different team for each match so that the players can try such a confrontation,” the manager explained.

While the Czech coaches will probably test some of the newcomers against the African opponent, they plan to take the strongest possible selection to Baku.

“We have made a nomination of the 20 best players we are counting on and we want to take them, but probably not all of them will go. The tournament is taking place at a time when the football season is finishing in our country, we will do our best to make a competitive team. We will also take into account who is able to make time for little league soccer and who puts it on the back burner. Of course, it doesn’t mean that those who won’t be in Baku can’t be at the World Cup,” he pointed out.

The Czech national team is planning another training camp before the championship in Ras Al Khaimah.

“Last year we hosted the English, this time we would like to do a week’s preparation with them immediately before the event or in the foreseeable future,” Zelenka added.

The U23 national team will be waiting for an international tournament in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the end of September.