Scotland |
| Czech Republic |
Scotland vs Czech Republic Live Streams and TV Channels
FIFA.com | 
BWIN | 
Sky Sports 1 | 
Sky Sports HD 1 |
Scotland vs Czech Republic Match Preview
As Scotland prepare for their friendly encounter with the Czech Republic at Hampden Park on Wednesday news comes that new manager Craig Levein has banned alcohol from the squad during international duty.
Scotland team quote of the day:
"I don't think anyone has any major problems not being able to have a drink. We are only here for a short period of time.”
Scotland and Birmingham midfielder James McFadden.
“Och no, it’s nae bother,…” you can almost hear the Scotland players say,… “but if we were going to be here a wee while longer we would have a problem with that.”
There it is in a nutshell. Scotland’s hopes and dreams of international glory encapsulated innocently enough in an unconsciously amusing statement of support for the new manager.
Amusing though it may appear the sad reality is that Scotland’s history of international competition has been riddled with incidents of excessive drink, poor behavior and even an allegation of drug use.
But due to inconsistent results, not helped at all by the alcohol-fueled behavior of midfielder Barry Ferguson and goalkeeper Allan McGregor, the Scotland squad faces the Czech Republic at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Wednesday in what is now a rehearsal for Euro qualifying.
Previous manager George Burley saw fit to ban Ferguson and McGregor from the Scotland team but new manager Levein, despite the alcohol ban, has welcomed the pair back into the fold, although neither is included in the squad that will face the Czechs.
More trouble for McGregor
Deep in his heart Levein must harbor at least a particle or two of misgiving; McGregor’s exclusion from the side was apparently forced upon him as the result of an incident outside a Glasgow nightclub over the weekend!
Rangers Kris Boyd and Lee McCulloch have also been welcomed back by the new manager.
Levein is clearly aiming at a rebuild for the Euro 2012 competition. Former Celtic defender Steven McManus has been left out due to concerns over his form and Rangers age-defying defender, 40 year-old David Weir, is out because,…well its because he’s 40 years old, actually.
Czechs missed the World Cup too
Like Scotland, the Czechs failed to qualify for the World Cup and their recent won/lost record makes for reading nearly as grim as Scotland’s.
The Czechs will arrive in Glasgow without goalkeeper Petr Cech, who was stretchered off after
suffering a calf muscle injury against Inter Milan last week in Champions League play. Cech’s place in the squad will be taken by Michal Danek who plays for Plzen.
Most of the Czech squad hail from continental clubs but if you’re familiar with the English football you will recognize Arsenal’s Tomas Rosicky and perhaps West Brom’s Roman Bedner.
Given that the Czechs and the Scots will be meeting in Euro 2012 qualifying they’ll use Wednesday's encounter at Hampden as a tune-up for their qualifyer in Prague next October.
Squads
Scotland
Goalkeepers:
Neil Alexander (Rangers), Craig Gordon (Sunderland), David Marshall (Cardiff City).
Defenders:
Alan Hutton (Sunderland), Christophe Berra (Wolves), Gary Caldwell (Wigan Athletic), Paul Dixon, Garry Kenneth, Andy Webster (all Dundee United), Steven Whittaker (Rangers), Lee Wallace (Hearts).
Midfielders:
Charlie Adam (Blackpool), Scott Brown (Celtic), Graham Dorrans (West Brom), Darren Fletcher (Manchester United), Paul Hartley (Bristol City), James McFadden (Birmingham City), Barry Robson (Middlesbrough), Lee McCulloch, Kevin Thomson (both Rangers).
Forwards:
Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller (both Rangers), Steven Fletcher (Burnley), Chris Iwelumo (Bristol City).
Czech Republic
Goalkeepers:
Jaroslav Drobny (Hertha Berlin), Michal Danek (Plzen).
Defenders:
Roman Hubnik (Hertha Berlin), Tomas Hubschman (Shakhtar Donetsk), Michal Kadlec (Leverkusen), Ondrej Kusnir (Sparta Prague), Tomas Sivok (Besiktas), Jan Simunek (Wolfsburg).
Midfielders:
Adam Hlousek (Slavia Prague), Mario Holek (Dnipropetrovsk), Jan Moravek (Schalke), Jaroslav Plasil (Bordeaux), Jan Rajnoch (Ankaragucu), Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal), Rudolf Skacel (Larissa).
Forwards:
Roman Bednar (West Bromwich), Tomas Necid (CSKA Moscow), Vaclav Sverkos (Sochaux).
