Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech. (Photo : Getty Images)
Struggling teams Czech Republic (0-1-1, 1 point) and Turkey (0-2-0, 0 points) are scheduled to meet one another at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens this Tuesday, June 21 for a Group D third round encounter in the 2016 UEFA European Championship.
The Czech Republic was predicted to have a hard time playing against tough rivals in the Group D of the tournament with Spain, Croatia, and Turkey all evidently having stronger rosters as compared to them.
Yet, after two rounds of competitions, they have positioned themselves to possibly advance in the next round as they gained a point in their second round 1-1 draw with star-studded Croatia at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne last Friday, as per BBC Sport.
Their highly-ranked opponents scored the first two goals of the contest as anticipated, courtesy of midfielders Ivan Perisic of Inter Milan and Ivan Rakitic of Barcelona at the 37th and 59th minutes.
However, head coach Pavel Vrba's boys made a comeback late in the match, netting two goals of their own to force a tie against the Blazers. Striker Milan Skoda cut the lead to one point at the 75th from a pass by team captain Tomas Rosicky before forward Tomas Necid scored the equalizer with one minute left in regulation to salvage the draw and earn their first point in the tourney.
If they can beat Turkey in this match, Vrba's side could still qualify in the round-of-16 as four third-placed teams in the six groups will advance based on their overall group stage records.
Meanwhile, Turkey is reeling at the moment, losing their first two fixtures in the tournament against top-notch opponents.
Croatia nipped them in the first round, 1-0, but tournament-favorite Spain crushed them in the second, 3-0, at the Allianz Riviera in Nice also last Friday, as per Sports Illustrated.
Head coach Fatih Terim's squad is demoralized at the moment and it is hard to see how they can come up with a win against the Czech Republic in their encounter this week.
The predicted result is a close 1-0 decision for the Czech Republic.
Czech Republic starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Cech; Kaderabek, Sivok, Hubnik, Limbersky; Plasil, Darida; Skalak, Rosicky, Krejci; Lafata
Turkey starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Babacan; Gonul, Topal, Balta, Erkin; Tufan, Inan, Ozyakup; Calhanoglu, Yilmaz, Turan
