Czech Republic captain Ladislav Krejčí called Spain the best team in the world ahead of their upcoming UEFA Nations League Group A3 match at Letná, though he insisted the national team still intends to win.
The fixture takes place on Thursday, with live broadcast coverage scheduled to begin at 19:30 on ČT sport ahead of the 20:45 kickoff, as reported by ČT sport. The Czech side enters the match after losing all four of their opening group matches in a tough campaign that also features England and Croatia.
Spain arrives in Prague as the reigning world and European champions and the clear favorite in Group A3. Krejčí, a 27-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers defender and former Sparta Prague and Girona player, acknowledged the immense gulf in quality but welcomed the challenge.
“Je pro nás čest se porovnávat s nejlepšími, ale zároveň chceme předvést co nejlepší výkon a mistry světa porazit,” said Ladislav Krejčí, Czech Republic captain.
The Czech squad aims to replicate their strong second-half performance from their previous encounter in October in Oviedo, where they managed to score and pressure the reigning champions before falling to a 3-1 defeat, according to ČT sport and ceskenoviny.cz reporting.
“Určitě chceme jít naší cestou. Postupné věci nám v prvním vzájemném zápase vycházely, ne vždy, ale bylo mnoho pozitivního, co jsme si z toho vzali. Budeme se snažit se nejen ve čtvrtek zdokonalovat – v defenzivě i ofenzivě,” Krejčí told ČT sport.
Ceskenoviny.cz said that Krejčí’s late red card for two yellow offenses in Oviedo derailed his team’s push for an equalizer before Spain sealed the win with a third goal. The defender acknowledged that mistake during his press conference.
“Na červenou kartu si určitě musíme dát pozor. A já obzvlášť,” Krejčí told ČT sport with a smile.
While securing points in the UEFA Nations League remains important, Krejčí emphasized to ČT sport that the ultimate target for the national team is qualification for the European Championship, using the current matches to build the right tactical foundations.
Reflecting on his time playing in Spain and the current setup under coach Santi Denia, Krejčí praised the distinct tactical approach of Spanish football.
“Pro všechny je to neskutečná zkušenost a oživení věcí, vnímání fotbalu. Je to jiná metodika. Měl jsem čest ve Španělsku působit, takže pro mě je to oživení toho, co se tam dělalo. Ale jde i o spoustu nových věcí, co se můžu učit. To mám na fotbale rád, poznávat různě herní styly,” Krejčí explained to ČT sport.
Following Thursday’s match at Letná, the Czech Republic will travel to face Croatia on Sunday in their next group fixture.
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