Portugal U21 vs Italy U21 Match Preview

Portugal U21 is one of the best teams in the tournament as they were one of the two teams to finish the group stage with three wins over three games. Not just this, but they managed to score six goals while managing to keep a clean sheet in all three occasions.

It is worth mentioning that they were in a group with teams like England U21, Switzerland U21 and Croatia U21. They won 2-0, 3-0 and 1-0 respectively, making it top of the group. This performance has put them as one of the serious contenders to go all the way to the final and why not win the trophy.

They have players like Trincao who plays for Barcelona, Vitinha - Wolves or Pedro Goncalves - Sporting CP who all come after having a very good season with their teams. Once again they are expected to play from the start to help the team towards their goal.

Italy U21, on the other hand, was in an easier group where they had Spain U21, Czech Republic U21 and Slovenia U21. Still, they managed to secure a ticket for the play offs only in the final game. They started with two consecutive draws 1-1 against Czech Republic and 0-0 against Spain and grabbed the second spot after beating 4-0 Slovenia.

They have a team full of young and talented players, so despite starting as underdogs here they will give a hard time to Portugal. Only against Spain they failed to find the back of the net and in attack having players like Cutrone - Valencia, Raspadori - Sassuolo can prove to be dangerous for any rival. In midfield names like Maggiore and Pobega might be less known but they have been so good this season with Spezia being undisputed in the lineup.

In conclusion, I think both teams can score at least a goal here. Portugal U21 is the favorite team and I think they have one of the most talented teams for the future. They are very prolific in attack and I expect at least a goal from them by what we have seen so far. Italy U21 is also a decent team, despite not having the same big names. They have a solid team in both attack and defense and while they might not offer a big spectacle they can surely make the best use of the scoring chances they create.