Sky Sports - Euro 2008 In association with Sky Bet

The experienced Czechs come into the tournament in fine form having won six of their last seven games in qualifying, conceding just one goal in the process, topping their group ahead of Germany, mainly down to a highly impressive 3-0 away win in Munich.

They possess arguably the best goalkeeper in Europe in Chelsea's Petr Cech, while their back four is as experienced as any in Austria and Switzerland.

In midfield, they will miss the injured Rosicky, but still possess plenty of quality in Jan Polak, Jaroslav Plasil and David Jarolim, while there will be few strikers who strike as much feat into an opponent's defence as Jan Koller.

The 6ft 7in forward is likely to be partered by Milan Baros, and if the Lyon frontman, who has been on loan at Portsmouth, can recapture the form of Euro 2004, where he scored five goals and won the Golden Boot, the Czech's will cause problems for the best sides in the tournament.

Coach - Karel Bruckner

One of the canniest coaches in international football, Bruckner has been moulding Czech talent for over a decade.

He was the mastermind behind the Under-21 side that won the European Championship in 2002 in Switzerland, although by the time of that success he had moved on to the national side.

Replacing Josef Chovanec, Bruckner's first major tournament was Euro 2004 where the Czechs played, by common consent, just about the best football in the tournament before being eliminated at the semi-final stage by Greece.

Bruckner drew praise for managing to coax coherent performances from a group of talented but mercurial individuals and - despite a first-round exit for his injury-hit squad - was rewarded with a new two-year deal after the 2006 World Cup.

A journeyman player, Bruckner cut his coaching teeth at hometown club Sigma Olomouc, leading them to the top division in the old Czechoslovakia. He took the club to the last eight of the 1992 UEFA Cup where they lost to Real Madrid.

After spells at FK Drnovice and Slovakian side Inter Bratislava, Bruckner returned to Olomouc in 1995 and led them to second place in the league - their highest finish ever.

In 1997, he was hired by the Czech Football Association where he has remained.

Star Man - Jan Koller

The giant striker is Czech Republic's top scorer with 52 international goals to his name and his fitness will be key to his country's hopes of winning Euro 2008.

Koller suffered a thigh injury in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup against USA and the Czech's went on to lose their next two group games without him.

He is the perfect foil for Milan Baros and scored six goals in 11 games in qualifying, while he was on target twice at Euro 2004, with his striker partner Baros netting five as the Czech's made the semi-finals.

Koller will cause the best defences problems in Austria and Switzerland and his return to goalscoring form is not good news for Switzerland, Portugal adn Turkey.

British Interest

Although Arsenal schemer and Czech captain Tomas Rosicky has been ruled out of the tournament through injury, there are plenty of familiar names in the Czech squad.

Most obviously - and distinctively in his rugby headguard - is Chelsea's Petr Cech. Firmly established as number one for club and country, he can claim to be the world's top keeper.

In front of him will be David Rozehnal who put aside his struggles at Newcastle to play a key role in the Czechs' qualification. He's now on loan at Lazio, but with doubts surrounding their interest in a permanent deal, this represents a shop window for the centre-half.

Marek Matejovsky could not prevent Reading from being relegated from the Premier League, but he left his mark with a stunning 20-yard strike against Liverpool at Anfield.

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Milan Baros has returned to the Premier League this year with FA Cup winners Portsmouth, and will be keen to repeat his performances of four years ago when his five goals earned him the Golden Boot.

And midfielders Liobor Sionko and Rudi Skacel will be familiar to Scottish fans after spells at Rangers and Hearts respectively. Skacel is currently on Southampton's books, but has been on loan at Hertha Berlin.

Why they'll win

David Rozehnal and Radoslav Kovac have formed a formidable partnership at the heart of the defence and, with Petr Cech behind them, the Czechs should be hard to break down. And, with Jan Koller and Milan Baros boasting top-drawer international scoring records there are goals in this side as well. Karel Bruckner took the side to the last four last time out, and knows how to get the best out of his talented but mercurial players.

Why they won't

Rosicky's injury and Pavel Nedved's retirement have left a creative hole in the middle of the park. The midfield has a workmanlike but uninspiring appearance in their absence, and the Czechs may be relying too much on full-backs Marek Jankulovski and Zdenek Grygera for the inventive spark.