Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the European U21 Championship group stage match.
A classic encounter at youth level. Germany U21 have already booked their place in the knockout round, while England U21 are almost there—they only need a draw or a narrow loss to advance.
England U21
England U21 currently trail Germany U21 by two points after a goalless performance against Slovenia U21. In contrast, Germany U21 made light work of the same opponents, winning 3:0. England U21 are without their standout player Jude Bellingham, who is currently in the United States taking part in the Club World Cup with his new club. One of the main creative forces in the England U21 squad is now Harvey Elliott. The Liverpool midfielder scored against the Czech Republic U21, but neither he nor any of his teammates could find the net against Slovenia U21—despite registering 20 attempts on goal. Only three of those were on target. That kind of finishing rarely delivers results, and it certainly didn’t on that occasion.
Germany U21
Germany U21 have shown much greater efficiency in front of goal. Against Slovenia U21, the squad scored three times from 14 efforts, with every alternate attempt resulting in a clear-cut opportunity. In their match against the Czech Republic U21, they scored four goals from 20 shots, all coming in a 25-minute spell between the 34th and 58th minutes. England U21 may take heart from the fact that the Czech Republic U21 managed to score twice past Noah Atubolu from just three shots on target.
England U21 vs Germany U21 Prediction
Given their clinical attacking play and superior conversion rate, Germany U21 are expected to score at least once. With England U21 having failed to score against one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition, that could well be enough to ensure at least a draw.
