Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the European U21 Championship group stage match.
Spain U21 and Italy U21, both five-time winners of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, will meet in the final round of Group A. With both teams having already qualified for the knockout round, this match will decide who finishes top of the group.
Spain U21
Spain U21 currently lead the group thanks to a superior goal tally – five compared to Italy U21’s two – although this also points to a more exposed defence. In contrast, Italy U21 have kept clean sheets in both of their matches so far. Spain U21 were pushed hard by both Slovakia U21 and Romania U21. Against Slovakia U21, the decisive third goal came in the 90th minute, while against Romania U21, the breakthrough only came after their opponents were reduced to ten men in the 84th minute. It was only then that the team managed to equalise and eventually secure the win.
Italy U21
Italy U21, by contrast, opened the scoring early in both of their group matches – within the first 25 minutes – and then controlled proceedings in typically pragmatic fashion. However, they found it difficult to build on their leads due to ineffective finishing: despite recording 22 shots across both games, only six were on target.
Spain U21 vs Italy U21 Prediction
The last encounter between these sides came during the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship group stage and ended in a goalless draw marked by rising tensions and three red cards. Neither team was particularly efficient, with just five shots on target between them and Italy U21 managing only four attempts in total. We believe the Total Under market presents the most sensible option here, even considering Spain U21’s five goals to date. Italy U21’s defensive organisation is on a different level, and their opponents have looked vulnerable in attack.
