- Denmark are slight favourites with the bookmakers at 2.0 following their semi-final victory.
- Czech Republic are 3.85 to win this match, which would be the greatest upset of the play-offs to date.
- The sides have a long history in previous major tournaments, with each side winning a quarter-final clash in prior decades.
High stakes, high tension
This match is the ultimate winner-takes-all one-match play-off final, with the prize of a coveted World Cup spot at stake. It is bound to be tense and nervy with a lot of pressure on both squads to perform as their nation’s dreams of glory are on their shoulders.
These two sides have a rich history of meetings at major tournaments, with Czechia triumphing 3 - 0 at Euro 2004 and Denmark edging them out 2-1 at Euro 2020. While these sides often play out cagey games, they always seem to be played out in tight games when it matters most, including a 3 - 0 Denmark win in World Cup qualifying. Recent competitive meetings since 2010 have produced mixed results, including several close draws, indicating that this could be a cagey encounter.
Denmark on a high
Denmark dominated their semi-final against North Macedonia, winning 4-0 in a dominant display to reach this final. Brian Riemer’s men have that blend of quality, intensity and ruthlessness which is perfect for knockout football and they will hope they can secure their spot at the World Cup with another clinical performance on Tuesday.
Riemer sets his teams up to be disciplined, pragmatic, and compact in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 system, with a real focus on rapid transitions, defensive solidity and winning the set-piece battle. Denmark are blessed with creative quality in Christian Eriksen, who is the heartbeat of his national side and consistently delivers goals and assists in recent international campaigns. Kasper Dolberg and Joakim Mæhle provide them with a number of different attacking avenues and should be able to test the Czech defense, as they did in their 4-0 victory last time out.
Czechia looking to upset the odds
Czech Republic reached this final after drawing 2-2 with Republic of Ireland and then winning 4-3 in a penalty shootout. Miroslav Koubek’s men have a much more conservative approach than Denmark, as they like to sit in a compact, central defensive block before overloading the central areas when in possession and countering quickly with Patrik Schick’s pace. They are disciplined, compact and tenacious, as well as tactically versatile, which has allowed them to grind out results in knockout football.
Schick is the key man for Czechia, he is their main goal threat and a proven finisher on the big stage, while Tomáš Souček is the engine of the side, a targetman for set-pieces and an influential player in winning second balls and controlling the flow of the game in transition. He will be key to Czechia’s hopes of victory.
A cagey match in prospect
These two teams have a history of tight encounters when the chips are down and there is every indication that this is likely to be a similarly cagey match. Denmark are a superior side and have the momentum of a dominant 4 - 0 semi-final win behind them, but with Denmark in strong form and Czech Republic resilient and capable of playing defensively, the Under 2.5 Goals market at 1.7 looks a good option.
