Euro 2008The editor of Prague TV's Czech Football Daily weblog looks forward to the European championship
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Football, television and beer form an ever-closer union in June, when Czech fans cheer on the national team at Euro 2008. Although Austria and Switzerland are co-hosting the tournament, events south of the border will have a big impact on life here in Prague. Giant TV screens on Old Town Square will show every Euro 2008 game live, for instance, while a program of supporting events, including five-a-side games, will be held at the Můstek end of Wenceslas Square. Many bars and restaurants in Prague that don't usually show football will also bring in temporary screens to show televised games. If the Czech Republic do well, expect a party atmosphere in Prague. But that's a big "if". Can the Czechs win? Beginning with Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, the national team, under white-haired coach Karel Brückner, have qualified for football's last three major international tournaments. But despite topping their Euro 2008 qualifying group, ahead of Germany, there are some serious causes for concern heading into the tournament. Most importantly, the Czechs will be without injured playmaker Tomáš Rosický, the national team's captain and most creative player. Hopes that 35-year-old Pavel Nedvěd would end his retirement from international football and come back to help the national team appear to have come to nothing. Brückner could also be without left-sided wingback Marek Jankulovski, who has struggled with a knee injury this season. Given these problems, the Czechs will be more reliant than ever on goalkeeper Petr Čech -- arguably the team's only world-class player at the tournament. Even without Jankulovski, the defence, featuring Zdeněk Grygera, Tomáš Ujfaluši, David Rozehnal, and possibly Radoslav Kováč, will be reasonably solid. It's in midfield where the problems begin, however. Veteran defensive midfielder Tomáš Galásek is reliable, and Jan Polák will work tirelessly, but Brückner will sorely miss Rosický's flair unless Libor Sionko and Jaroslav Plašil have the tournament of their lives. Up front, there are just as many questions. Milan Baroš hasn't scored for the national team in over a year while giant striker Jan Koller has had a difficult season with his German club side. As alternatives, Martin Fenin was one of the stars of last summer's Under-20 World Cup while Václav Svěrkoš, one of the squad's few Czech-based players, has been in excellent form for Baník Ostrava. One other ray of hope is that Czech teams tend to do better when expectations are lowered. Ultimately, however, it's hard to be too optimistic and I'm predicting a quarterfinal exit at best. CZECH SQUAD Goalkeepers Petr Čech (Chelsea, England) Jaromír Blažek (1. FC Nürnberg, Germany) Daniel Zítka (Anderlecht, Belgium) Defenders Zdeněk Grygera (Juventus, Italy) Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan, Italy) Michal Kadlec (Sparta Praha) Radoslav Kováč (Spartak Moskva, Russia) Zdeněk Pospěch (FC Kobenhavn, Denmark) David Rozehnal (Lazio, Italy) Tomáš Sivok (Sparta Praha) Tomáš Ujfaluši (Fiorentina, Italy) Midfielders Tomáš Galásek (1. FC Nürnberg, Germany) David Jarolím (Hamburg, Germany) Marek Matějovský (Reading, England) Jaroslav Plašil (Osasuna, Spain) Jan Polák (1. FC Nürnberg, Germany) Libor Sionko (FC Kobenhavn, Denmark) Rudolf Skácel (Hertha Berlin, Germany) Stanislav Vlček (Anderlecht, Belgium) Forwards Milan Baroš (Portsmouth, England) Martin Fenin (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany) Jan Koller (Nürnberg, Germany) Václav Svěrkoš (Baník Ostrava) EURO 2008 DRAW Group A Switzerland Czech Republic Portugal Turkey Group B Austria Croatia Germany Poland Group C Netherlands Italy Romania France Group D Greece Sweden Spain Russia SCHEDULE Czech Group Games Saturday, June 7th at 6pm Czech Republic vs. Switzerland Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Wednesday, June 11th at 6pm Czech Republic vs. Portugal Venue: Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Sunday, June 15th at 8:45pm Czech Republic vs. Turkey Venue: Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Playoff Stage Thursday, June 19th at 8:45pm Quarterfinal 1: Winner Group A vs. Runner-Up Group B Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Friday, June 20th at 8:45pm Quarterfinal 2: Winner Group B vs. Runner-Up Group C Venue: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Saturday, June 21st at 8:45pm Quarterfinal 3: Winner Group C vs. Runner-Up Group D Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Sunday, June 22nd at 8:45pm Quarterfinal 4: Winner Group D vs. Runner-Up Group C Venue: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Wednesday, June 25th at 8:45pm Semifinal 1: Winner Quarterfinal 1 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 2 Venue: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Thursday, June 26th at 8:45pm Semifinal 2: Winner Quarterfinal 3 vs. Winner Quarterfinal 4 Venue: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima Sunday, June 29th at 8:45pm Final: Winner Semifinal 1 vs. Winner Semifinal 2 Venue: Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria Czech TV Coverage: Live on Prima RELATED WEBSITES Euro2008.com -- Official tournament website Fotbal.cz -- Official ČMFS (Czech football association) website Czech Football Daily -- Prague TV's soccer weblog |
Article added on Fri 23rd May, 2008 [last updated Mon 9th Jun, 2008]Share this page 
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