Head coach Thomas Tuchel has said he is reluctant to do much tinkering with his team ahead of the match in the Czech capital, but there are a few players who will be under a little more pressure than others to make sure their performances at the Fortuna Arena stand out.
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performances → say → Arena
Here, Standard Sport assesses three England players poised for an opportunity to shine...
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Sport → assess → opportunity
Trent Alexander-Arnold
England and Trent Alexander-Arnold have not always been a match made in heaven.
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England → make → heaven
Seldom has the country produced a player capable of striking the ball quite as cleanly as Alexander-Arnold — something he put to good use over a long career at Liverpool where he would assist goals on a very regular basis.
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he → produce → basis
But defensively Alexander-Arnold has always been suspect, and this limited his game time under both Gareth Southgate and now under Tuchel, who was also suspicious of where his head was at last summer when he moved to Real Madrid.
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he → limit → Madrid
Tuchel feared Alexander-Arnold would not be fully focused on England matters.
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Arnold → fear → matters
Yet the right-back featured at Southgate’s first tournament, the 2018 World Cup, and scored the winning penalty in the quarter-final shootout with Switzerland in the previous manager’s last tournament, Euro 2024, illustrating his international career has been a long one.
He just hasn’t ever been first-choice at right-back, though.
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He → feature → back
Injuries in that department and a good start to the season with Real see him back in the fold now, however, and if he starts ahead of Jarell Quansah at right-back this evening, Tuchel will be hoping he shines.
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he → see → back
Eight men have been picked at right-back for England since the 27-year-old last played there, so the pressure is on to deliver if he is handed his 35th cap.
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he → pick → cap
Lewis Hall was among the most unfortunate of the players who missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad.
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who → miss → squad
Seen by many as a shoo-in, the left-back was left out in favour of Nico O’Reilly and Djed Spence.
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back → see → O’Reilly
“There is a sense of disappointment, but I'm just looking to use that and bounce back now,” Hall said in Prague on Monday.
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Hall → be → Monday
And with O’Reilly expected to miss the game with a small injury and Spence not in the squad, Hall is set to start at left-back for what will be his fifth cap and only his second-ever start for his country.
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what → expect → country
Hall has started in fine form this season for Newcastle United under new manager Matthias Jaissle, whose friend, Tuchel, is trusting Hall to carry that into tonight’s game.
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friend → start → game
The 22-year-old Chelsea academy graduate is the most natural and well-balanced left-back England have at their disposal at present, and a positive display in Prague would put him in good stead for further game time during this international break.
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display → balance → break
Tuchel’s decision to start Trafford in these first two Nations League games and hand the next two matches to England’s long-time first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford appears more than just a case of sharing game time for the sake of squad harmony.
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decision → start → harmony
It feels as though it signals the head coach is willing to at least consider a change of England No1 ahead of the next tournament, Euro 2028, which will be played on home soil.
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which → feel → soil
Dean Henderson has always been the goalkeeper to push Pickford closest over the last few years, but never close enough to seriously challenge him for his No1 shirt and may now have missed the boat, aged 29.
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Henderson → push → boat
And with Henderson sidelined for these internationals and Trafford having started well at Leeds United since his summer move from Manchester City, opportunity knocks for Trafford.
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opportunity → sideline → Trafford
The 23-year-old played the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley and will again start between the sticks in the Czech Republic.
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old → play → Republic
When asked whether he was impressed with Trafford’s display against the world champions, the England head coach said he is not a goalkeeping specialist.
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he → ask → champions
This felt a thinly veiled admission he had not been blown away by Trafford’s performance as Spain put three past him and an error-prone England defence.
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Spain → feel → him
Yet Trafford is highly-rated in the club game and also within the England setup and is a genuine threat to Pickford’s No1 shirt.
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Trafford → rat → shirt
He must take his chance in Prague if he is to get further opportunities later down the line to press his case for usurping Pickford.
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he → take → Pickford
The Aporia
