Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the European U21 Championship group stage match.
The Czech Republic U21 managed to score against both favourites in Group B, yet remain the only side already eliminated from contention. Slovenia U21, under certain conditions, still have a slim theoretical chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
Slovenia U21
Slovenia U21 held England U21 to a goalless draw — a result that has kept their faint hopes of advancing alive. However, their chances are purely theoretical, as the squad currently trails by five goals on goal difference. If England U21 narrowly lose to Germany U21 and Slovenia U21 secure a narrow win against the Czech Republic U21, the gap would reduce to three. But to progress, both matches would need to result in emphatic wins — a scenario that seems highly unlikely, especially given that Slovenia U21 have yet to score in the tournament.
Czech Republic U21
The Czech Republic U21 found the net against both England U21 (1:3) and Germany U21 (2:4). Despite conceding heavily, they managed to score twice from 10 shots on target. Their display against England U21 was particularly clinical: one goal came from a goalkeeper error, while another was an own goal. Earlier this spring, the Czech team also held Spain U21 to a 2:2 draw in a friendly, highlighting their attacking quality.
Slovenia U21 vs Czech Republic U21 Prediction
We believe the Czechs are more likely to open the scoring and could find the net more than once. However, their defensive vulnerabilities suggest Slovenia U21 might finally get on the scoresheet. Rather than backing both teams to score, we favour the bet on the Czech team not to lose and Total Over 1.5 goals.
