Czech Republic star player: Petr Cech
Is it particularly difficult to play in the opening game of the tournament against the hosts?
It’s a very tricky match, for both us and the Swiss. I think a lot will depend on how they cope with the pressure, how they approach the match. The whole world is watching. It will be a big, big evening. The fans will be screaming. This can motivate the team and drive them forward.
We saw that with Germany in the World Cup. But the opposite can happen, too. It can all get a little too much for them. We saw how the Portuguese struggled against Greece in 2004.
Are you the favourites to progress from the group, along with Portugal?
Maybe, yes. The Portuguese have the big stars, and my Chelsea team-mates are a constant reminder of their class. I’m also good friends with [Swiss striker] Alex Frei, we played at Rennes together. I have great respect for him.
And Turkey are very unpredictable. One day they can play like the best team in the world, the other day they’re awful. But you have to say that all teams are on a similar level. That can be a big advantage because you can still pick up points in the second or third game. In a sense, that reduces the pressure a little bit.
The Czech Republic are always seen as dark horses in major finals. Can you be a little more this time?
I hope so. We are realistic about our potential. The priority is to get out of the group, then everything is possible. At the World Cup, we couldn’t compensate when our main strikers got injured. But we weren’t far away in 2004 [the Czechs reached the semis] and to repeat that would be a great achievement. The current team also has a very good balance between experienced guys and new players such as Martin Fenin, who are coming through from the Under-21s. There is quality. If we can all stay fit, we will do well.
Is international football a different game compared to the Premier League?
There are more emotions involved when you play for your country. It’s a great honour. The game itself doesn’t differ that much. Perhaps you have more bodies in the box in England, and Chelsea tend to dominate games, so maybe you can say you need to concentrate differently. But it’s not possible to second guess the way a game is going. It usually turns out completely differently.
Do you ever dream of scoring a goal?
No, never. I prefer to keep a clean sheet.
Not even in the European Cup Final?
No, I would take 38 clean sheets every time.
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