With their historical Round of 16 finish at their first ever European championships this summer lifting them to new heights, Georgia are also making their inaugural UEFA Nations League (UNL) second tier appearance after winning their League C group in 2022/23. They won five of their six fixtures (D1) during that cycle, and with their unforgettable 2-0 victory over Portugal coming more recently, the Crusaders should believe they belong at this level.
Georgia open their campaign against a familiar foe, a Czech Republic side who they met at Euro 2024 (D 1-1), and whose 12 shots on target in that game was the most by any team that failed to win a match at the Euros since such records were first compiled in 1980. A repeat result cannot be excluded here as Georgia are unbeaten in four competitive matches in Tbilisi (W3, D1), but given they kept a clean sheet in three, they’ll hope any positive result this time round is complimented by a shutout.
Czech Republic endured their worst ever European Championships as an independent nation after being classified 22nd out of the 24 participants, with their only point coming from the fixture against Georgia. That followed a forgettable maiden UNL A campaign in which they finished bottom of their group (W1, D1, L4) and were relegated back to the second tier where they will appear for the third time in four UNL editions.
In an attempt to put their recent performances behind them, head coach Ivan Hašek has selected a rejuvenated squad that includes five players with one or no international caps. He’ll be hoping for a fresh start in which they return to the kind of form that saw them win his first four games in charge, three of which saw the Czechs stamp their authority by scoring before the break.
Players to watch: Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia helped Napoli get back to winning ways with a goal and an assist, and he could make an early impact after three of his last four goals for Georgia arrived inside the opening 15 minutes. Forward Patrik Schick started this season with a second-half goal for Leverkusen in German Super Cup and he also netted after the break in two of his last three appearances for the Czech Republic, including the last H2H.
Hot stat: Czech Republic trailed at half-time in each of their last four UNL fixtures (L4).
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