Spain and Germany aren’t short of top stars, but they’ve got yet another string of talented youngsters coming along. Both sides have made it through to the final of the under 21 European Championship, which takes place on Friday night. Which of these two sides will walk away with the title?
This could be a great summer for the Germans, after their Confederations Cup exploits. Given that eight of their Confederations Cup squad were available for this tournament, there’s clearly a lot of depth in the Germans’ youth ranks. However, does that mean that they’ve been spread too thin against a top Spanish side?
The Spaniards showed their quality during their 3-1 win over Italy, which saw them take apart the best defence in the competition. The Germans needed penalties to see off England, which isn’t the first time that has happened. However, that result doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the Germans and their ability to claim the crown on Friday night.
Saul Niguez to score any time (5/2 with Bet365)
Spain’s place in the final came largely thanks to Atletico Madrid man Saul Niguez, who scored a hat-trick as they overcame Italy. It was an impressive showing from the midfielder, which demonstrates just what a side can do when they take the best players available to them, instead of leaving them at home for the summer. The Atletico player is now the top scorer at the tournament from midfield, after hitting five goals in four matches. That’s an impressive return, one we can see him adding to on Friday night.
Saul’s impressive form reminds us of Thiago, who impressed when leading Spain to victory at this tournament in 2013. The midfielder showed an eye for goal back then, and we think Saul will come out of this tournament with a similar reputation. He’s facing a German defence which has looked dodgy in recent games, so we’re backing the midfielder to make an impact. He’s a huge 15/2 with Bet365 to score first, but we’re backing him to score anytime at 5/2.
Spain to win and both teams to score (3/1 with BetVictor)
Saul’s scoring form has only been part of a rampant Spain attack, which has led them to victory in every game so far. They’ve been brilliant going forward, and we think they’ll have too much for this functional German side. The underdogs have some talented prospects, but they lack the star quality that Spain possess.
However, the Germans should get a goal in this one, given their form so far. They’ve scored seven times in four matches, only drawing a blank against Italy. Given that they knew they’d face a tougher semi-final if they hit the target in that game, it’s easy to see why they settled for a 1-0 defeat. We see Germany exploiting this Spanish defence, but we’re backing the favourites to claim the win. We’re going with a Spain win and BTTS, which is well priced at 3/1 with BetVictor.