Football

England Lean on a Thin Squad to Face Czechia After Thrashing Croatia

England head into their Nations League clash with Czechia missing Alex Scott and Ezri Konsa to injury, but arrive at Wembley fresh off a record 7-0 win over Croatia.

Brian Mwangi · 6 October 2026 · 2 min read

2 min read
Outline of a medical cross on a rotated card against a slate gradient
Outline of a medical cross on a rotated card against a slate gradient

England face Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday in their fourth Nations League group match, arriving with a significantly thinned-out squad but buoyed by a dominant 7-0 win over Croatia just days earlier.

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott has withdrawn from the camp after suffering a serious quadriceps injury on his full international debut, an issue expected to keep him out for up to two months. Arsenal's Ezri Konsa has also returned to his club as a precaution for a minor calf issue, while Nico O'Reilly withdrew earlier in the window with training-ground discomfort.

Reinforcements and a long absentee list

Manchester City's Rico Lewis has received a late call-up from the under-21 squad to help cover the defensive line. He joins a squad already missing Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento, meaning Thomas Tuchel may also choose to rest key figures such as Marc Guéhi, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon, even as captain Harry Kane is expected to continue leading the attack.

  • Alex Scott: serious quad injury, debut cap, out up to two months
  • Ezri Konsa: minor calf precaution, returned to Arsenal
  • Late call-up: Rico Lewis (Manchester City, from the U21 squad)
  • Recent form: beat Croatia 7-0 after an opening 3-2 defeat to Spain

Czechia's own problems

Visiting head coach Santi Denia has selection headaches of his own. Captain Ladislav Krejčí is suspended after a red card against Spain, and forwards Lukáš Provod and Tomáš Chorý remain unavailable through injury, though midfielder Pavel Šulc returns having served his own ban. Kick-off at Wembley is set for 19:45 BST.

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