Czech National Football Team: New Coach's Surprise Call-Up for Teplice Player

The new head coach of the Czech national football team has announced the squad for the autumn Nations League matches, and the biggest surprise is the call-up of Teplice midfielder Matěj Radosta, who has never before played for the national side. This season, the 25-year-old has scored two goals and provided three assists.

Among the team's usual leaders are captain Ladislav Krejčí, who plays for Wolverhampton in England's second division, Lyon's attacking midfielder Pavel Šulc, striker Adam Hložek, and defender Vladimír Coufal — the latter two both from Hoffenheim. Slavia midfielder Lukáš Provod also made the list, despite currently being injured.

Seven Slavia Players and Other Surprises

The reigning Czech champions and current league leaders, Slavia, have sent no fewer than seven players to the national team — the largest contingent from any single club. Besides Provod, defender David Zima and midfielder Michal Sadílek are also dealing with health issues, though both are expected to join the squad. Central defenders Tomáš Vlček and Štěpán Chaloupek were also named.

A place in defense also went to right-back Michal Sáček of Poland's Górnik Zabrze. Ondřej Lingr, who now plays for Korona Kielce in the Polish league following his return from overseas, has also made a comeback to the national side. Also showing strong form and included in the squad are Lukáš Ambros at Anderlecht, Roman Macek at Prague's Sparta, and Alex Král, who has had a successful start to the season at Copenhagen.

The goalkeeping situation raises no doubts: the coach has picked two keepers who regularly guard the net in the English Premier League — Lukáš Horníček of Newcastle and Antonín Kinský of Tottenham. They are joined by Matěj Kovář of PSV Eindhoven, who plays in the Champions League and has so far remained the club's first-choice goalkeeper. In total, the current squad includes fifteen players who took part in the recent World Cup.

Fan Festival — But No Big Name

The Football Association of the Czech Republic is organizing a four-day fan festival near the Fortuna Arena, where the team will play against Croatia (26 September) and England (29 September). From 26 to 29 September, the event will feature football activities, tournaments, autograph sessions, ticket and prize giveaways, as well as activities with partners ČSOB, Fortuna, and Ford. Renowned Czech darts player Karel Sedláček is also expected to make an appearance.

Notably absent from the list, however, is the name that has dominated headlines in recent days — German-born striker Ryan Nadery of Scotland's Glasgow Rangers. According to the German outlet Bild, national team manager Pavel Nedvěd allegedly tried to bring him into the squad, reportedly prompting the player to apply for Czech citizenship and a passport. In the end, though, he did not receive a call-up.

The Czech national team now faces four Nations League matches. The campaign kicks off on 26 September at home against Croatia, followed by a home game against England on 29 September — both to be played at Prague's Eden Stadium. The team will then head out for two away matches: on 3 October they face the reigning world champions in Spain, and on 6 October they play in England.

Source: sport.cz