Juventus [ Images ] midfielder Pavel Nedved will return to the Czech Republic squad for their World Cup play-off against Norway later this month, ending a 16-month absence from the team, coach Karel Brueckner said on Thursday.

Brueckner announced his 23-player squad for the two-leg play-off, which also includes Monaco midfielder Jaroslav Plasil, who is coming back from a foot injury.

The Czechs begin the play-off in Oslo on November 12, before returning home for the second leg on November 16.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Jaromir Blazek (Sparta Prague), Petr Cech [ Images ] (Chelsea [ Images ]), Antonin Kinsky (Saturn Ramenskoye)

Defenders: Zdenek Grygera (Ajax Amsterdam), Marek Jankulovski (AC Milan [ Images ]), Martin Jiranek, Radoslav Kovac (both Spartak Moscow [ Images ]), Pavel Mares (Zenit St Petersburg [ Images ]), David Rozehnal (Paris St Germain), Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina)

Midfielders: Tomas Galasek (Ajax Amsterdam), David Jarolim (Hamburg SV), Jiri Jarosik (Birmingham City [ Images ]), Pavel Nedved (Juventus), Jaroslav Plasil (Monaco), Karel Poborsky (Ceske Budejovice), Jan Polak (Nuremberg), Tomas Rosicky (Borussia Dortmund), Vladimir Smicer (Girondins Bordeaux)

Forwards: Milan Baros (Aston Villa [ Images ]), Marek Heinz (Galatasaray), Tomas Jun (Trabzonspor), Jiri Stajner (Hanover 96).