Czechia Determined Ahead of Bafana Clash: We Have To Give Our Lives To...

Czechia defender Vladimir Coufal has admitted that his side are expecting a difficult encounter against South Africa, insisting they will have to "give their lives" if they are to keep Bafana Bafana at bay.

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The European outfit suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat to South Korea in their opening 2026 FIFA World Cup fixture last week, leaving them under pressure heading into their second Group A encounter.

With South Africa next up on Thursday, Czechia know that anything less than three points could severely dent their hopes of progressing to the Round of 32.

As part of their preparations, Miroslav Koubek's side are scheduled to train in Atlanta on Wednesday, with their final pre-match session set to take place away from the main stadium.

Speaking ahead of the crucial clash, Coufal acknowledged that he has already seen enough of Hugo Broos' side to know they will pose a serious challenge.

"I only saw a little bit of the opening match between South Africa and Mexico because we were out for a walk, then I went to sleep before our match, which I always do," Coufal said, according to the Czech national team's official website.

The former West Ham United defender stressed that Czechia's primary focus must be on correcting the shortcomings they displayed against South Korea rather than becoming overly concerned with their opponents.

According to Coufal, greater confidence in possession and defensive discipline will be key if they are to get their World Cup campaign back on track.

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"We have to look at ourselves, we have to improve our performance with the ball, we have to trust ourselves more.

"We have to be cohesive, responsible and give our lives to prevent the ball from getting into our goal.

"And then I believe that we will manage it and we won't have to look back at our opponents."