We are looking forward to Ronaldo, says Vaclik before the match against Portugal. How do Barák and Schick feel about the match?

The Czech Republic national football team will play the penultimate match of the UEFA Nations League against Portugal on Saturday in front of a sold-out Fortuna Arena. How do the players feel about the match?

Jaroslav Šilhavy’s charges have a tough match ahead of them. In Eden, they will challenge the favoured Portugal, whose selection includes the famous Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is the biggest attraction in the whole match.

The Czech Republic can secure their place in the elite Group A ahead of schedule. However, this will only happen if they win and if Spain does not lose to Switzerland. All other scenarios will mean that it will only be decided in the last group match on Tuesday.

So the goal is clear. To hold on. “We will focus mainly on the first game against Portugal. We have to give our best performance and fight for three points,” Antonín Barák told reporters.

Šilhavy’s selection is not in the best shape. It has won only one of the last five matches. In the last two matches, they have lost to Portugal and Spain. So there is a lot of room for improvement.

Even Barák is aware that Portugal is the clear favourite: “On the other hand, we are playing at home, we are in a good frame of mind and I think we have all the important players here. We can play with everyone if the team prepares well tactically and if most of the players are comfortable on the day.”

Goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik then admitted that everyone is looking forward to Ronaldo. ” After the start of the season and the vicissitudes of the preparation, he will have a big appetite against us. It seems to me that he is always frustrated when he doesn’t score. I believe that together we will be able to keep him safe the second time around.”

Portugal is not just about Ronaldo, though. Vaclik added that the Portuguese have quality in all positions. Striker Patrik Schick, however, points out that the national team can handle big games at home.

The Leverkusen striker also believes that there are not so big differences at national level nowadays, even though the match may look clear-cut by the names. And his prediction? He expects an even match.

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