By KBC Associate 
England U21s meet Czechia in Slovakia as the Three Lions begin the defence of the European Championship crown they won in Georgia two summers ago.
Lee Carsley’s side are in a group with Germany and Slovenia and will be favourites to emerge victorious from their opening game.
Defender Charlie Cresswell and Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott are the only players remaining from the squad which went all the way in 2023, but Carsley’s squad is bursting with senior Premier League experience and attacking talent.
Here are how the two teams line up for Thursday’s fixture.
Czechia team news
Midfielder Adam Karabec is set to feature in a third tournament in a row, but he starts this game on the bench.
Jan Suchoparek will begin the evening as underdogs but will be hoping to cause an upset in their opening game.
Czechia U21: Hornicek; Spacil, Prebsl, Chaloupek; Hadas, Vydra, Stransky, Suchomel; Danek; Sejk, Fila.
Subs: Borek, Koutny, Kozeluh, Kricfalusi, Labik, Paluska, Halinsky, Karabec, Visinsky, Sojka, Langhamer, Vecheta.
England team news
Despite recent omissions in the form of Jobe Bellingham and Liam Delap, who will both be at the Club World Cup with new clubs Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, Carsley has named a team packed with attacking talent.
James McAtee, Elliott, Omari Hutchinson and Jonathan Rowe all start, with the Manchester City midfielder McAtee captaining the side.
England U21: Beadle; Livramento, Cresswell, Quansah, Gray; Anderson, Scott, Elliott; McAtee, Hutchinson, Rowe.
Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Simkin, Edwards, Egan-Riley, Norton-Cuffy, Hackney, Morton, Fellows, Hinshelwood, Nwaneri, Stansfield, Iling-Junior.
Your #YoungLions for their first game of the #U21EURO finals! 👀 pic.twitter.com/vjUPTq3tuR
— England (@England) June 12, 2025