Denmark U21 v Austria U21
Thursday 20th June 1730hrs
Football – International – UEFA U21 Championship
Pick Austria U21
Bookmaker Bet365
Odds: 15/8 (odds taken 21.30 GMT, Tuesday 18th June)
Group B looked the most open of all the sections at the finals and the results in the first game prove that. Denmark were well beaten by the Germans whilst the Austrians strolled to a win over Serbia.
UEFA U21 Championship Betting at Bet365
Denmark U21 Preview – Will the Danes bounce back from disappointing defeat?
The Danes have qualified for four of the last U21 finals and confidence would have been high coming into this. Their best showing came back in 2015 when held in the Czech Republic. On that occasion Denmark reached the semi-finals, only to lose heavily to arch-rivals Sweden. It was something of an embarrassment how it ended but still an achievement in itself. Having beaten France and Belgium in friendly games back in March, hopes were high that the Danes could pose a threat to the knockout phase once again. Being placed in this group presented them that chance but they were poor against the Germans in the opening game. Bearing in mind this is a Germany team who came in with little fanfare despite being reigning champions. It now leaves Denmark having to win both matches to have a realistic chance of reaching the last four.
Borussia Dortmund forward Jacob Bruun Larsen is the undoubted star of this Denmark team. Like many other players competing in Italy this summer, Larsen was part of his nation’s senior squad for the European Qualifiers earlier this month. He will be keen to turn in a much better performance on Thursday though, having been largely ineffective against Germany.
Austria U21 – Are Austria capable of following up win over Serbia?
Austria are making their debut in this competition and they are wasting no time in making their mark. You would never have known that this group of players are playing at their first major tournament when brushing aside Serbia 2-0. This is a Serbian team who were fancied by a few to go far in Italy, too. It shouldn’t come as a surprise considering this is an Austrian team who defeated a brilliant French team 3-1 in a warm-up game earlier this month. It’s been a really good period for this group of players who have suffered just one defeat in 10 games. That came against Spain in a friendly match so it’s obvious this team shouldn’t be taken lightly. Of course, winning against Serbia will count for little if Austria are unable to follow up on Thursday.
When you look through this Austrian squad it’s virtually full of players plying their trade in their domestic Bundesliga. Six of them have moved to Germany but it’s only to be expected many others will follow suit. Captain Philipp Lienhart is the most experienced and is a regular for Freiburg. He’s a crucial player in guiding this youthful group.
Key-Facts – Denmark U21 v Austria U21
- The Danes were disappointing in their defeat to Germany and look to recover
- Austria are competing in their first ever finals and were impressive 2-0 winners against Serbia
- Denmark ran out 5-0 winners the last time these teams met but it’s likely to be a much closer affair on Thursday
Denmark U21 v Austria U21 Betting Advice
These two nations are perhaps not at the forefront of people’s minds when looking for a winner. That’s certainly not stopped Austria from dreaming of shocking their most illustrious opponents, though. Denmark will find it hard to make it to the semi-finals now, but the Austrians will be hopeful. Perhaps their biggest test is to come against Germany but if they can go into that match with maximum points then it sets things up perfectly. Denmark will not be conceding just yet, though, and are capable on their day.
What will give Denmark some confidence is their last meeting with Austria. The Danes ran out 5-0 winners in a friendly game just over a year ago. That’s further indication of how good they can be, but it does look a tough task on what we’ve seen in this tournament so far. Austria came into the competition flying and continued that with the win over Serbia. With their opponents needing to come out and attack here it should also suit them. It may be new territory for them, but they have took everything in their stride so far. And I’m taking Austria to continue that with another three points here.
