Georgia vs Czechia: Preview, lineups and predictions

Although Georgia’s first taste of a European Championship finals match ended in defeat, the Caucasus nation got to celebrate their first-ever goal in the competition. Georgian fans will have been proud of what they saw during a truly enthralling contest, one of the best of the tournament so far. The 3-1 loss to Turkey saw a whopping 103 attacks and 36 shots. Following this magnificent spectacle, many neutrals will no doubt be tuning in for when Georgia takes on Czechia this weekend.

Willy Sagnol’s men may be the underdogs for this clash but you best believe they will back themselves to get something from it. Czechia did not offer a great deal in their last-gasp defeat to Portugal and are now without a clean sheet in five matches. That said, the central European outfit does not lose very often and can be quite the stubborn foe on their day.

• Location: Hamburg
• Stadium: Volksparkstadion
• Date: 22 June 2024
• Kick-off Time: 15:00 CEST (14:00 BST)
• Referee: Daniel Siebert (GER)
• VAR: Marco Fritz (GER)

Georgia Team News

Willy Sagnol had no injury problems ahead of, or during, his side’s opening clash with Turkiye as Solomon Kverkvelia managed to prove his fitness in time. The only man unavailable for selection was veteran goalkeeper Giorgi Loria, who picked up a red card from the bench during the final play-off with Greece. This was no real problem, though, as the 38-year-old only serves as backup to Giorgi Mamardashvili, who is one of the promising young keepers in world football.

As well as the absence of injury problems, Georgia fans will also be pleased to hear that Willy Sagnol dismissed rumours of him leaving for another job. He told the press recently that he expects to be working for Georgia for “the next few years”.

Czechia Team News

Speaking after the 2-1 defeat to Portugal, Czechia manager Ivan Hašek provided a fitness update on a couple of key players. He revealed that star striker Patrik Schick was only withdrawn on the hour mark because he was tracking back so much and beginning to tire. Tomáš Souček, meanwhile, had to undergo treatment ahead of Czechia’s opener but is not feeling any great discomfort and is happy to keep playing. Thanks to this, Czechia have a clean bill of health, but changes may still occur given that Hašek praised Antonín Barák and Petr Ševčík, who both came off the bench against Portugal.

Georgia vs Czechia H2H Record and Key Numbers

Saturday’s clash will mark the first-ever coming together of these two nations. Although there is subsequently no head-to-head record to discuss, we can compare the form of both countries.

Czechia’s defeat to Portugal was only their second time tasting defeat in their last 15 matches. That’s an impressive record for a nation only ranked 36th in the world. Clean sheets are something of an issue for them though as they have only two in their last ten fixtures, with these coming against minnows Moldova and the Faroe Islands.

Georgia is more familiar with the taste of defeat (six in the last 15), but half of these have been against strong opposition, namely Spain (twice) and Morocco. Additionally, there have only been two defeats, including the one against Turkyie on Tuesday, since last October.

Possible Lineups

• Georgia (3-5-2): Mamardashvili – Kverkvelia, Kashia, Dvali – Kakabadze, Kochorashvili, Mekvabishvili, Chakvetadze, Tsitaishvili – Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia
• Czechia (3-5-2): Staněk – Holeš, Hranáč, Krejčí – Coufal, Barák, Souček, Provod, Douděra – Chytil, Schick

Where to Watch Georgia vs Czechia Euro 2024 – TV and Online Live Streaming

Within Georgia, the game will be accessible via 1TV (aka First Channel), while in Czechia, viewers can watch live via Česká Televize (CT) Sport. In the UK, BBC One is the channel you need.

Prediction

It was hard not to be impressed by a plucky Georgian side in their Group F opener with Turkiye. The Jvarosnebi played without fear and with a similar mindset; they should find the back of the net against a Czechia side struggling for clean sheets. Given how tough to beat Czechia are, though, and their ability to score goals, I can see this being an eventful 2-2 draw.

*Odds are subject to change

More Georgia vs Czechia match tips can be found on our special page for the game.