Search icon

Sport

21st Feb 2012

The Czechs have announced their squad for the Aviva

So you’re heading to Ireland v Czech Republic next week, right? Here’s what the boys in green are going to be up against.

JOE

So you’re heading to Ireland v Czech Republic next week, right? Here’s what the boys in green are going to be up against.

The Czech Republic manager Mikel Bilek has followed in the conservative footsteps well worn by his opposite number Giovanni Trapattoni by sticking to the tried and tested lieutenants who helped to get the team to Euro 2012 this summer.

There will be a few well-known faces on show, with used-to-be-good goalkeeper Petr Cech, gone-downhill-rapidly midfielder Tomas Rosicky and can’t-believe-he’s-still-playing striker Milan Baros all included.

Jaroslav Plasil and Michal Kadlec are others who may be familiar to nerdy football fans.

But really, next week is not about the Czech Republic, is it? It’s about Trap giving James McClean a chance to book a ticket to Poland in the summer.

Czech Republic squad (v Ireland, February 29,2012):

Goalkeepers: Petr ?ech (Chelsea FC), Jaroslav Drobny (Hamburg)

Defenders: Theodor Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec), Roman Hubnik (Hertha Berlín), Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen), Daniel Pudil (Cesena), Jan Rajnoch (Sivasspor), Frantisek Rajtoral (Viktoria Plzen), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas).

Midfielders: Tomas Hubschman (Shaktar Donetsk), Petr Jiracek (Wolfsburg), Daniel Kolar (Viktoria Plzen), Milan Petrzela (Viktoria Plzen), Vaclav Pilar (Viktoria Plzen), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Jan Rezek (Anarthosis Famagusta), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal).

Forwards: Milan Baros (Galatasaray), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomas Pekhart (Nurnberg).