Czechs stretched for Dublin test

By Ladislav Josef & Aidan Fitzmaurice

Extending his side's 21-match unbeaten run is unlikely to have been the first thing on Czech Republic coach Karel Brückner's mind as he boarded the plane to Dublin on Tuesday.

Nedved doubt
Instead he is more likely to have been preoccupied by the question of finding four fully-fit midfield players for the friendly against the Republic of Ireland. Czech captain Pavel Nedved told the press in Prague that he had considered withdrawing from the party because of a back problem.

'Winning spirit'
He has only been able to play for Juventus FC in recent weeks after taking pain-killing injections but said he was grateful for the opportunity to "swap Juventus's problems for the winning spirit of the national team."

Missing regulars
Brückner will be glad to have Nedved on board given he is already missing two of his midfield regulars, AC Sparta Praha's Karel Poborský and BV Borussia Dortmund playmaker Tomás Rosický, both of whom are injured.

Plašil to play
The coach must also find a replacement for Liverpool FC's Vladimír Šmicer, who is only just back in training after an achilles injury. Šmicer's likely replacement at Lansdowne Road is AS Monaco FC's Jaroslav Plašil, whom Brückner described as "a similar type of player for the left flank".

Jarosík withdrawal
Brückner lost another midfield option when Jirí Jarosík withdrew from the squad to focus on his fight for a starting place at Russian club PFC CSKA Moskva. "It's the first time in two years that a player has asked me to rest him because of club commitments," said an unhappy Brückner.

Good news
His mood would not have been helped by the confirmation on Monday that Sparta central defender Tomás Hübchman had suffered a broken arm - forcing the coach to call up Petr Voríšek in his place. There was some good news, however, in the shape of goalkeeper Petr Cech's return to the squad. Cech - who conceded just five goals in eight qualifying matches for UEFA EURO 2004™ - returned for Stade Rennais FC on Saturday after a six-week absence caused by an elbow injury.

Resources stretched
The resources of Republic of Ireland coach Brian Kerr are even more stretched than Brückner's. After training on Monday, midfield player Stephen McPhail and defender Andy O'Brien joined an injury list which already included David Connolly, Richard Dunne, Steve Finnan and Nick Colgan.

Defensive experiment
Add the absences of Sunderland AFC pair Jason McAteer and Gary Breen and Manchester United FC's John O'Shea because of their club's FA Cup semi-finals this coming weekend and Kerr - who has called up young defenders Stephen Kelly and John Thompson - has had little option but to experiment. Hence a likely start in central defence for Tottenham Hotspur FC's Gary Doherty alongside captain Kenny Cunningham.

Miller time
Moreover, the Celtic FC forward Liam Miller, who will join Manchester United on a free transfer this summer, is in line for his debut. The 23-year-old was not included in the original squad because of a pelvic injury but appearances against FC Barcelona and Rangers FC in the last week have convinced Kerr he is fit enough to feature. "I want to integrate him into the squad as soon as possible," said Kerr.