Czech Republic have been hit by injuries that threaten to cripple their campaign in the UEFA European Under 21 Championship. After their opener against England on June 11, the Czech Republic face Serbia on June 14 in a game that could determine who goes through from the strong group.

Czech Republic coach Ladislav Škorpil is however confident his side can still muster enough force to run their opponents close. Captain Martin Latka is unavailable because of a recurring thigh problem. Midfielder Mario Holek has an ankle strain is is said to be sure of missing the whole tournament. More worryingly for the Czech Republic, striker Tomáš Krbeček also has a sprained ankle, which saw him limp off in this side's 3-1 defeat against CU Bohemians Praha on Wednesday.

Škorpil though is sure his team can overcome these issues. He cited history as evidence that warm-up games generally mean nothing. "Czechoslovakia also lost before going to the FIFA World Cup in Chile in 1962," he said. "The fans booed them but they finally returned home with silver medals." He has selected Roman Hubník as the captain, while Milan Kopic will partner him in the central defense. Czech Republic will also be without striker Tomáš Frejlach, who is injured.

Having won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship thanks to heroics by goalkeeper Petr Cech, the Czech Republic will be hoping to cross the group stages this time around.

Serbia meanwhile are the team to watch in this year's UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Serbia coach Miroslav Djukić has crafted a fine side under him who are eager to make their mark on the international stage as an independent nation.

Captain Branislav Ivanović is in his final tournament at this level and he will want to leave a legacy that the next generation can follow up on. The FC Lokomotiv Moskva defender still rues a lot chance last year when his team went out on penalties in the semifinals against Ukraine.