Czech Republic vs. Germany: World Cup 2018 Qualifying Live Stream, Preview

Germany are one of only two teams in Europe's 2018 World Cup qualification groups still yet to drop a point after six matches, but the Czech Republic will do their utmost to end that unbeaten streak on Friday.

The Euro 2016 runners-up are currently five points ahead of second-placed Northern Ireland in qualification Group C, while the Czech Republic sits nine points below leaders Germany with four matches remaining.

Not that the Czechs have a great chance of winning the pool anyway, but the gulf between the two teams means this will be the last opportunity for Friday's hosts to claw back points if they have any dreams of topping Group C.

For Die Mannschaft, meanwhile, Friday's fixture presents an opportunity to build on this summer's Confederations Cup and extend their unbeaten run to 16 matches.

Read on for a preview of Friday's 2018 World Cup qualification clash, complete with all the essential viewing information.
         

Date: Friday, September 1

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Eden Arena, Prague, Czech Republic

Live Stream: Fox Soccer Match Pass (U.S.), fuboTV (U.S.)

TV Info: Fox Sports 1 (U.S.)

Preview

Germany have ruled qualifying Group C with an iron fist thus far in the campaign and won 3-0 in the reverse fixture against the Czech Republic thanks to a brace from Thomas Muller along with a smart Toni Kroos finish.

However, that win was almost one year ago, in October 2016, and a lot has changed since then. For starters, Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira will play no part in Friday's fixture after confirming his absence due to a slight knock on Wednesday:

Regular starting goalkeeper Manuel Neuer will also be absent due to injury, per the official Bundesliga website, and Bayern Munich team-mate Jerome Boateng will also be missing with a knock of his own.

Despite some key names absent from the squad sheet, Bayern youngster Joshua Kimmich has warned the Czech Republic of the strength in this Germany lineup, per the team's official Twitter account:

It's true that Germany won the 2017 Confederations Cup with a squad lacking many of their usual stars, but young talents Timo Werner, 21, and Leon Goretzka, 22, are among those few who have remained in manager Joachim Low's plans.

Both of those players finished the Confederations Cup as joint-top scorer with three goals each and have shown plenty of potential to remain and star in Die Mannschaft's senior plans for years to come.

Things look decidedly more dour for Czech Republic manager Karel Jarolim, whose side are without a win in their last two matches, losing to Belgium in a friendly before drawing 1-1 at Norway in their most recent qualifier.

The fact Werder Bremen defender Theodor Gebre Selassie is the only player in the Czech squad to have hit 30 suggests Jarolim is planning for the future, and it may be too soon to expect his side to stop Germany's Group C domination.