Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the European Under-21 Championship match.
At the most recent senior World Cup, Denmark and France were drawn in the same group. On that occasion, the 2018 world champions came out on top with a 2:1 victory.
Denmark U21
Denmark U21 topped their group, although it was arguably the weakest in the tournament. The Netherlands U21 are currently far from their best, and Denmark U21 managed a 2:1 win against them. The only points the squad dropped came in a 2:2 draw with group outsiders Finland U21. While that result may seem surprising at first glance, it’s worth noting that the Danish team had already secured first place before the final matchday and rotated their squad heavily. Even so, they only surrendered a two-goal lead after making most of their substitutions.
France U21
France U21 finished second in a group that also included a strong Portugal U21 side. Without Portugal U21’s emphatic wins over Poland U21 (5:0) and Georgia U21 (4:0), the French side might have claimed top spot. Their own results against those teams were more modest: a 4:1 win over Poland U21 and a narrow 3:2 victory over Georgia U21, secured only in the 102nd minute. On the positive side, Portugal U21 failed to score at all against France U21.
Denmark U21 vs France U21 Prediction
Football academies across France continue to produce significantly more young talent each year than Denmark, and that depth tends to show at youth level. However, Denmark U21 have demonstrated they can compete, notably beating France U21 at Euro 2021 (1:0). Even if they don’t claim victory this time, we expect them to avoid losing by more than a single goal. Our prediction is a positive handicap in favour of the Denmark U21 squad.
