CZECH TEAM PROFILE : Overflow with talent

They may not have the biggest pool of players to choose from, but what Karel Brückner's Czech Republic side lack in quantity, they make up in sheer quality.

Good campaign
Emerging triumphant from qualifying Group 3 ahead of the Netherlands, and with most of their playes having top-flight experience in most of Europe's best leagues, the Czech Republic at their best possess all the flair and style of the Italians allied to the never-say-die resilience of the Germans.

Stylish players
Hardly surprising, as within their ranks they boast some of the finest players in the Bundesliga and Serie A. Their most notable talent is Juventus FC's Pavel Nedved - a left-sided midfield player with power and pace and a knack for scoring goals from set pieces.

Brilliant Nedved
Nedved was acknowledged by may to have been the outstanding player of the 2002/03 UEFA Champions League, and his absence through suspension from the Juventus side that lost on penalties to AC Milan in the final was cited by many as the decisive factor in the game.

Excellent Poborský
Of a similar vintage to Nedved, former Manchester United FC winger Karel Poborský can provide a significant threat down the right, and will be hoping to emulate the sparkling form that led the Czech Republic to the final of EURO 96™ and briefly made him a household name in Europe.

Midfield class
The Czechs are spoiled for choice in the centre of midfield. PFC CSKA Moskva midfield player Jirí Jarošik did not become the most expensive player ever to join a Russian club without good reason, while Liverpool FC's Vladimír Šmicer brings an element of toughness to a midfield dripping with style.

Dortmund genius
No analysis of the Czech midfield would be complete without a mention of BV Borussia Dortmund's brilliant Tomáš Rosický. Lightning-fast and supremely composed with the ball at his feet, the youngster was, like so many of his team-mates, a graduate of the AC Sparta Praha academy, and has the passing skills to turn a game.

Massive striker
He will certainly provide much of the ammunition for the Czech Republic's forwards, who will be led by the giant Jan Koller. Surprisingly nimble with the ball at his feet but unsurprisingly deadly in the air, Koller will nonetheless need to be at his best to keep Liverpool prodigy Milan Baroš out of the first team.

Classy goalkeeper
At the other end, young goalkeeper Petr Cech has tended to be Brückner's first choice. Now playing in France, he is one of a number of veterans of the Czech team who surprisingly triumphed at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship along with Baroš and defender Zdenek Grygera.

Inexperienced defence
Cech has the commanding presence to preside over a relatively inexperienced defence which also boasts Tomáš Hübschman - a young Sparta defender rated by many to be one of the finest prospects in Europe.

Youth and experience
There is a nice mixture of youth and experience in the Czech squad, and after failing to reach the FIFA World Cup finals in 1998 and 2002 and underperforming massively at EURO 2000™, there is also a real determination to show that they are as good as they have been hyped up to be.

Confidence boost
"In the last [World Cup] campaign we lost a lot of respect for not qualifying," Šmicer told uefa.com. "Now we want to go back out and reclaim that respect because as a team we have good players but just need a little more confidence." Should they find that confidence in Portugal, they will be a match for anyone.

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