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England return to action on Friday against Czech Republic in the first of ten Euro 2020 qualifiers and the sense of optimism surrounding the international break has surely never been higher.

The Three Lions gifted us all a summer to remember as they battled all the way to the World Cup semi-finals before losing in heartbreaking fashion to Croatia, whom they exacted revenge upon in their November Nations League clash.

England fans, players and Gareth Southgate will now be looking ahead to next summer, where they will have the opportunity to build on their successes of the previous one.

First, though, they must advance through the qualifying rounds and Czech Republic are the first obstacle in their path. This week’s fans – Football Fancast’s very own Harry Sherlock and Billy Meyers – give their thoughts ahead of the clash below.

Are there any players named in the initial squad who you feel were fortunate to get in and who would you have replaced them with?

Harry: “It was obviously a surprise when James Ward-Prowse was omitted but, rather by luck than judgement, he has found his way into the squad. One would say that Kieran Trippier, on form, probably doesn’t deserve to be in the team; Aaron Wan-Bissaka would have been an obvious replacement, allowing the Crystal Palace youngster to find his feet at international level.”

Billy: “I feel that James Tarkowski was lucky to make the squad. Burnley haven’t set the world alight this season and have been poor for the majority of the campaign, and it is criminal that the former Brentford man has made the cut when Conor Coady, captain of the Premier League’s 7th-placed side, is sat at home.”

Indeed, Southampton’s Ward-Prowse has been in scintillating form for the Saints in 2019 – the midfielder has scored six goals in his last nine games and three in his last three, two of which were superb free-kicks against Manchester United and Spurs.

The 24-year-old’s dead-ball goals might have given some flashbacks to Trippier’s own strike against Croatia, although the right-back hasn’t been so great since – there were certainly arguments to be had for Wan-Bissaka to take his place in the squad, although the Palace man remains with the Under-21’s.

Burnley’s Tarkowski, meanwhile, hasn’t quite been as immense as he was last season, while Coady has led Wolves to what will surely be an impressive top-half finish having just come up from the Championship.

Should Gareth Southgate go with the three-at-the-back approach which was so successful in the World Cup or go with the formation which beat Spain in October?

Billy: “I think Southgate should go with the three-at-the-back formation. It worked well at the World Cup, and suits a lot of the players in the side who will most likely be eager to carry on in the same system as a result of the aforementioned success, which will breed confidence as it has shown the squad that it is an effective formula for results.”

Harry: “Southgate need not pin down one formation. England’s squad is filled with multifunctional, technical players for the first time in a generation; he can change the system as the games come. The fact is, in qualification for Euro 2020, it is unlikely to matter. England should be winning these games, even if they play 6-3-1.”

The former Middlesbrough man’s taking of the Three Lions wheel saw a complete overhaul of style and approach, with the introduction of a new 3-5-2 setup which reaped rewards in the World Cup.

England were playing some fantastic football and, a fortuitous run of games aside, fully deserved to reach the last-four of the competition. It was somewhat a surprise, therefore, when the formation was thrown out for the Nations League games against Spain and nemeses Croatia at the end of the year.

Quickly, though, all questions were answered, with the Three Lions beating both.

What does it mean for The Three Lions that we have players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho breaking through to the first team?

Harry: “England have the most exciting crop of youngsters in a generation. Never before have we seen so many exciting young talents break through and then actually threaten to live up to the hype. Sancho is already a £100m player and Hudson-Odoi could save Chelsea a fortune across the next couple of years.”

“Add into that the fact that all of these players remain eligible for the Under-21s: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Ryan Sessegnon, James Maddison, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford. This is the new golden generation.”

Billy: “I think it’s phenomenally exciting to have the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho in the side. With the latter mainly playing on the right-wing at Borussia Dortmund, and Hudson-Odoi a fan of cutting in on his right foot off the left flank, England could potentially have the two best wingers in world football in a few years time.

“Our very own Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, perhaps?”

Sancho has been nothing short of incredible since trading Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund – the 18-year-old has chalked up a jaw-dropping 15 league assists for BVB this campaign, while also netting eight goals, in just 26 appearances.

Southgate has repeatedly promised to select players for his England squad based on performances rather than reputation and the electric winger has vindicated that claim.

Another youngster making waves in club competition is Chelsea’s Hudson-Odoi, although the speedster has been limited to far fewer minutes than his former England Under-17’s teammates. Don’t bet against the 5 ft 10 forward making a huge impact on the international stage this month though.

Matej Vydra has identified Harry Maguire as a weak-point for England – is he right?

Billy: “Harry Maguire definitely seems to have fallen away from his man-mountain-like state that we saw at the World Cup. Perhaps playing in an unhappy, uncertain environment at Leicester under Claude Puel, before he was sacked of course, has affected him. Hopefully he can regain some form in the international break and carry it on under Brendan Rodgers upon his return to the Foxes.”

Harry: “No. Maguire confirmed his abilities at the World Cup. This is a defender who can tackle, win the ball in the air and distribute. There isn’t much more you can ask. Defence may not be the strongest point of Southgate’s squad but Maguire is far from a weak link.”

Check out the harsh words the Playmaker FC squad had to say about Wayne Rooney’s England career in the video below

Indeed, ‘Slab-head’ – as he was affectionately dubbed by the England fans – has been underwhelming for the Foxes this season. As Billy says, though, he may just have been a victim of poor management while Puel was still at the helm.

There are no certainly questions regarding the 26-year-old behemoth’s quality after his sensational showings at centre-back in the summer; that is, unless you’re Burnley’s Vydra, who believes Maguire will be exploitable on Friday.

Finally, what are your score predictions?

Harry: “England should win comfortably. It’s at Wembley and the Czechs have been in remarkably patchy form. They beat Slovakia and Poland by a goal to nil in their most recent outings but were thrashed 5-1 by Russia as recently as September. I’ll go 4-0.”

Billy: “England 3-0 Czech Republic.”