Northern Ireland team captain Steven Davis. (Photo : Getty Images)
The 2018 FIFA World Cup UEFA qualifying tournament kicks off with a Group C match between Euro 2016 participants Czech Republic and Northern Ireland at the Generali Arena in Prague on Sunday, Sep. 4.
The said tournament will act as the qualifiers for the European confederation to the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia. A total of 13 spots, excluding host nation Russia, will be available for UEFA teams at the conclusion of the tournament.
Czech Republic competed in the recent UEFA European Championship held in June and July, but was eliminated early in the group stage after being winless in three outings in Group D with Croatia, Spain, and Turkey.
Their last match was a 0-2 loss to Turkey at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens on June 21 to strike out of the Euro competitions, as per The Guardian.
It was also the final game of legendary goalkeeper Petr Cech for the Czech national team as the Arsenal shot stopper had announced his retirement from international competitions. Three other senior players have also recently retired from the national squad, namely defenders David Limberský and Roman Hubník and midfielder Jaroslav Plašil.
The team is essentially a new one with all the retirements as they are also currently managed by newly-appointed head coach Karel Jarolím, who took over from Pavel Vrba last month.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland is entering their second major tournament this year after the Euros as the team tries to qualify for the Russia World Cup in 2018.
The Green and White Army had a successful stint in this summer's Euros, advancing in the knockout stage of the said competitions after placing third in Group C behind powerhouse squad Germany and Poland.
Their last game was a sorry 0-1 loss to a Gareth Bale-led Wales team at the Parc des Princes in Paris on June 25 during the Euros' round-of-16 stage, SkySports reported.
Head coach Michael O'Neill will look to build on their Euro stint to try and challenge Germany this time in the World Cup qualifiers as they were again grouped together in Group C along with the Czech Republic, Norway, Azerbaijan, and San Marino.
Only one team per group will outright advance in the World Cup at the end of the first round of qualifiers.
The predicted result is a 2-0 win for Northern Ireland.
Czech Republic starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Vaclik; Kaderabek, Suchy, Selassie, Pudil; Pavelka, Darida, Sural; Vydra, Necid, Krejci
Northern Ireland starting lineup (4-5-1 formation): McGovern; Hughes, McAuley, Cathcart, J. Evans; Ward, C. Evans, Norwood, Davis, Dallas; Lafferty
