Czechia

Manager Miroslav Koubek was brought in to right the ship after a shocking 1-2 defeat to the Faroe Islands in December threatened to derail the Czech qualifying campaign. The 74-year old has spent virtually all of his 43-year career up and down the Czech football pyramid (working a day job as an insurance broker for 20 of those), won his first domestic title in 2015 with Viktoria Plzeň, and has become a favourite of fans and players alike since achieving qualification.

With the national team, Koubek dispensed with the 4-2-3-1 used by his predecessors and installed a 3-4-3 base possession shape. In practice, this becomes a 4-1-5 with one wing-back pushing forward and the other dropping into the back line; from this structure the preferred pattern of play is to cycle the ball laterally in the back line and play vertical passes to the wide areas. Koubek's Czechia can count on multiple proficient crossers and a refined approach to set pieces that should allow them to benefit from an elite aerial threat in striker Patrik Schick. They're strong up the middle as well, with a capable netminder in Matěj Kovář, physical ball-winners in defense in Ladislav Krejčí and Robin Hranáč, and former captain Tomáš Souček in midfield. As a result, they are very capable of winning second balls in the opponents' half, which can save them from having to counter-press too intensely.