Captain wants Czechs to avail of target practice

CZECH REPUBLIC captain Tomas Rosicky has backed his team’s strikers to regain their confidence in tonight’s Group D home fixture against San Marino ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Lansdowne Road.

None of the four strikers selected by coach Karel Bruckner have scored in a senior competitive match since the 3-0 win over Slovakia on September 6. Rosicky is hoping that first-choice pairing Jan Koller and Milan Baros can fill their boots against San Marino, whose last outing ended in a 13-0 loss to Germany.

“It should be good for our forwards that we are playing against a weaker opponent before the Ireland game,” said Rosicky. “They need some goals and if they score a few it will make them feel a lot better.”