“As you all know, I’ve been preparing myself, training with the team,” he said. “I feel fit after the match against Reading, and it’s important I feel the same tomorrow; I believe I will.
“It’s been a long break from competitive senior football, but when it comes to being in the dressing room or with the boys, everything feels completely normal. We’ve had two good training sessions here and another one today, and we believe we’ll be as prepared as possible for Croatia.”
The stakes could hardly be higher at Prague’s Fortuna Arena, the same ground where Souček lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy with the Hammers in 2023.
When the two nations met in the summer, his equaliser just before the hour mark proved only a brief reprieve as Croatia went on to score four more, winning the tie 5-1.
Victory on Thursday evening will be crucial if Czechia are to steer clear of the play-off route for World Cup qualification, the same path that ended in heartbreak three years ago when an extra-time strike from Sweden’s Robin Quaison denied them a place in the play-off final against Poland for a spot at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As it stands, Czechia and Croatia are level on 12 points in the Group L table, six points clear of third-place Faroe Islands with Croatia ahead on goal difference and having played one game fewer. Following Thursday’s clash, Czechia are due to play the Faroe Islands away on Sunday 12 October, before completing their qualifying group-stage campaign at home to Gibraltar in November.