Preview: Czech Republic vs Guatemala - prediction, team news, lineups

In the early hours of Friday, Czech Republic will play their final friendly before the beginning of the World Cup against visitors Guatemala at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

The match will give the hosts the chance to finalise their tactical plans following their successful playoff campaign to qualify for this summer's tournament, whereas Guatemala will be hoping to bounce back from successive friendly defeats.

Match preview

Czech Republic had to hold their nerve in a penalty shootout against Denmark on March 31 to claim their place at the World Cup, winning 3-1 thanks to their opponents missing three of their four spot-kicks.

That match was their fourth consecutive triumph, before they managed to extend their winning streak to five games after beating Kosovo 2-1 on Sunday.

Repre have now scored at least twice in each of their last four clashes, though they conceded more goals in their past three games (five) as they did in their prior six matches (three).

Manager Miroslav Koubek's side have never encountered Guatemala before, but given the hosts are ranked 41st by FIFA, they will be confident against their 96th-placed opponents.

Czech Republic have been outstanding on home soil considering they are unbeaten in their 12 most recent outings at home, a period in which they experienced success on 10 occasions.

Guatemala finished third in their World Cup qualifying group, though while they only finished one point behind second-placed Suriname, they had already been eliminated from from qualifying before they beat them 3-1 in their final game on November 19, 2025.

The visitors have since played friendlies against Canada in January and Algeria in March, and while a 1-0 loss against the former was not too demoralising, a 7-0 defeat against the latter compounded the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup.

Boss Luis Fernando Tena has been in charge since December 2021, and his crowning achievement was no doubt helping the nation reach the semi-finals of the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

However, the 68-year-old has endured a difficult period of late given he has only overseen two victories in his past nine fixtures, with his side losing five times.

Los Chapines have also lost three, drawn two and won just one of their last six away games, and a loss against Czech Republic would be their third defeat in a row on the road.

Czech Republic International Friendlies form:

Czech Republic form (all competitions):

Guatemala International Friendlies form:

Guatemala form (all competitions):

Team News

Czech striker Patrik Schick is almost certain to be named in the lineup after missing out on the XI against Kosovo, and the Bayer Leverkusen forward could be joined by Adam Hlozek and Pavel Sulc.

West Ham United's Tomas Soucek may start in a double pivot alongside Lukas Cerv, with the pair hoping to earn their 90th and 17th cap respectively.

Robin Hranac can be expected to be a starter at the World Cup, and in preparation for the competition, he will likely be joined in a back three by Stepan Chaloupek and Ladislav Krejci.

If Guatemala field a four-man defence against their hosts, perhaps Jose Pinto and Marcelo Hernandez will be stationed as centre-backs.

The two central defenders may be protected by midfielders Stheven Robles and Jose Rosales, while Olger Escobar is a candidate to support number nine Darwin Lom.

Czech Republic possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Chaloupek, Hranac, Krejci; Coufal, Cerv, Soucek, Sojka; Sulc, Hlozek; Schick

Guatemala possible starting lineup:

Navarro; Yanes, Pinto, Hernandez, Morales; Robles, Rosales; Santis, Escobar, Munoz; Lom