The finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championships begin this week and there’s plenty of interest in the biennial competition. On Saturday, there are two matches on offer, the first being Portugal verses Serbia. The Portuguese were runners up two years ago and how they’d love to make amends this time around. Following this match Spain take on a Macedonia side who are making their debut appearance in the finals and will no doubt be relishing the occasion.
On Sunday we see two former winners go head to head, the 2009 champions, Germany, and the Czech Republic who won the competition in 2002. The two sides met in the 2015 competition, battling out a 1-1 draw, although that result counts for little now. To round off the weekend’s action, Denmark face a stiff test against Italy. These are two teams known for their tough defences so it’s not looking like being the most goal-laden fixture of the group stages.
Saturday 17th June 2017
Portugal U21 v Serbia U21 (17:00) – Portugal to win and over 2.5 goals (9/5 with Coral)
With a tally of 34 goals from their 10 qualification matches, Portugal were just one goal away from being the highest scoring nation amongst all the groups. There are a lot of players in their squad capable of scoring a goal or two and not being reliant on one name could work in their favour as the tournament progresses. They’ve not lost a game since their penalty shootout defeat in the final of this competition two years ago and you don’t want to back this run ending here.
A point would be a very good result for the Serbians but this may prove too difficult to achieve. Their top goalscorer, Uros Durdevic, who netted 28 times for Partizan this season, will give them hope, but they are unlikely to keep Portugal’s attacking talents at bay. While they may have only conceded eight goals during the qualifiers, they had a group full of low-scoring sides who were never going to cause them too much trouble. Goals look on the menu for this one but expect it to be the Portuguese who get the biggest share.
Spain U21 v Macedonia U21 (19:45) – Spain to win by two goals (3/1 with Sky Bet)
Spain weren’t able to top their qualifying group but the bookies fancy them to impress more here, pricing them at around 7/2 to be crowned champions for the fifth time. They once against boast a talented crop of youngsters, many of whom you’d expect to make their way into the senior squad before too long. Their main source of goals is Gerard Deulofeu but the tricky winger may find life a little difficult against the Macedonians due to their fairly sturdy defence.
Despite their lack of finals experience, Macedonia look capable of putting in a credible showing in Group B. Their resilience at the back has helped them keep five consecutive clean sheets and it’s been 10 games since they conceded more than one goal in a match. For a team that beat France to first spot in qualification Group 3, Blagoja Milevski’s men must be doing something right. It’s likely that Spain will be on another level to them on Saturday but it shouldn’t be overly one-sided.
Sunday 18th June 2017
Germany U21 v Czech Republic U21 (17:00) – Germany to win (13/20 with BetVictor)
Germany were the most deadly side in Europe during the qualification stages, as is so often the case at all levels, banging in 35 goals while also being the only side who didn’t drop a single point. It’s little wonder why the German’s are the joint favourites to win the whole tournament. They have struggled in recent friendlies in the past few months though, losing 1-0 to both Portugal and tournament hosts Poland. Two goals scored in their last four games since isn’t the best way of approaching the tournament but expect them to up their game now that the pressure is on.
The Czech’s also played Poland recently in a friendly but they were able to secure a 2-1 victory over their neighbours. This isn’t to say that they should be fancied over the Germans here as, of course, football doesn’t work like that. Prague-born Patrik Schick, recently signed by Juventus, is definitely one to watch out for but in other areas of the pitch, Vitezslav Lavicka’s side doesn’t boast the same level of quality. There isn’t a gulf between the two sides by any means but it’s hard to see the Czech Republic preventing the Germans beginning their campaign with a win.
Denmark U21 v Italy U21 (19:45) – Under 2.5 goals (4/5 with Betfair)
Both these sides conceded just three goals each during the qualifying stages, quite a feat given that they faced 20 games between them. The Danes have looked sloppy in friendlies since though, shipping in three to Spain and four against England. There’s no shame in losing to two strong sides but the manner of the defeats will not have pleased Niels Frederiksen. For an under 21 squad though, they have an experienced side capable of improving for the big occasion, especially at the back as defenders Maxso, Holst, Blabjerg and Banggaard have 80 caps between them.
Italy have just the one name who has over 20 caps for the under 21 side but most of their players do benefit from training at Serie A teams week in week out. The Italians haven’t lost their love for the art of defending and it seems something that the younger generation are keen to preserve. It’s not all just about defending for Italy though as Domenico Beradi, once described as a young Roberto Baggio by Giancarlo Antognoni, provides a real threat at the other end. He may find he is largely stifled on this occasion though by a committed Danish defence in a game which doesn’t look like providing many goals.