England manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted Tuesday’s Nations League trip to the Czech Republic is “not yet a must-win”, despite a 3-2 home defeat to Spain in the Group A3 opener at Wembley. Speaking at a press conference in Prague on Monday, Tuchel said: “It’s a bit early in the group for a must-win,” while stressing his side always targets victory.

Spain, the reigning world champions, came from 2-1 down to beat England on Saturday, denting hopes of a second Nations League semi-final. The Czechs, under their first foreign coach Santi Denia, also lost their opener 2-1 at home to Croatia.

Tuchel confirmed Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly have minor issues and may miss out. “We respect the opposition, we respect the quality,” the former Chelsea manager said of the Prague test. England have reached the Nations League semi-finals only once in three editions and were relegated to the second tier in the 2022-23 campaign.