MEXICO CITY — Czech Republic head coach Miroslav Koubek is urging his players to set aside the weight of history and keep believing they can advance to the knockout round when they face Mexico in a critical Group A contest on Wednesday.
Mexico has already locked up first place in the group and a spot in the next round, following wins over South Africa and South Korea. The Czechs, on the other hand, have managed just one point through their first two games and are in desperate need of a strong result to stay alive in the tournament.
As co-hosts, Mexico has yet to allow a goal and is expected to enjoy a massive home crowd advantage at the Azteca Stadium — a venue where they have never lost a World Cup match, going six wins and two draws across the 1970, 1986, and 2026 tournaments.
Koubek recognized the enormous task in front of his team but made clear his players cannot afford to be intimidated by Mexico’s track record.
“We know their successes are really fascinating. It’s a great success and we really do respect that. We have great respect for Mexican football and also for Mexican fans,” Koubek told reporters Tuesday.
“However, we need to focus on what we need to do. We have to get the necessary points, otherwise we will drop out of the World Cup.”
Even so, the Czech coach expressed belief that his squad had not given up hope.
“Miracles do happen and nothing is impossible in football. That’s our approach,” he said. “We can’t think about these facts right now and we have to follow our dream as best as we can.”
Czech captain Ladislav Krejci pointed to the team’s playoff run back in March — when they defeated Ireland and Denmark to earn their spot in the tournament — as proof they can rise to the occasion against a stronger opponent.
“This is our last chance,” Krejci said. “The experience from March is very important for us. Back then we proved that we were able to succeed against stronger teams, so we can succeed now against Mexico as well.”
Koubek also acknowledged that his team must play better than they have so far, having blown leads in both previous matches against South Korea and South Africa.
“We have to score, that’s clear,” he said. “We need to be stronger in the game, stronger in the combinations and have bigger possession of the ball. We are not very happy about what happened so far and we want to improve.”
