Italy U21 v Poland U21
Wednesday 19th June 2000hrs
Football – International – UEFA U21 Championship
Pick Both teams to score
Bookmaker Sportingbet
Odds: 21/20 (odds taken 20.30 GMT, Tuesday 18th June)
Hosts Italy got off to the perfect start on Sunday and looking to follow that up against a Poland team who were also victorious on the opening weekend and showed how capable they are.
UEFA U21 Championship Betting at Sportingbet
Italy U21 Preview –Can Italy take control of Group A?
It was a terrific come-from-behind win from Italy on Sunday, defeating a dangerous Spanish team. Being hosts brings with it an added pressure and the signs are good for Luigi Di Biagio that his team can cope with it. Star of the show on Sunday was the impressive Federico Chiesa from Fiorentina. The forward notched twice in the win and established himself further as his nations most important player. Chiesa’s ability is going to see him compete at a much higher level in the future, of course. But he has been dropped back down to this squad with a view to bringing Italy success. The Italians are six-time winners of these Championships, but their last triumph was back in 2004. Their recent showing was in 2013 when losing in the final to Spain. They have negotiated arguably their most difficult task this time and will approach Wednesday’s game with confidence.
The Italians had been in poor form coming into this tournament. It makes their win and performance against Spain all that more impressive, and surprising. What’s apparent with this squad is the attacking options they have. In addition to Chiesa, Patrick Crutone and Moise Kean are also available and they have starred for their club sides throughout the last season.
Poland U21 – Will we see Poland follow up their impressive win against Belgium?
Poland were hosts of these Championships two years ago, but it was a disappointing performance. The Poles finished bottom of their group and managed to pick up just a point. This competition has started in much more positive fashion, though, defeating Belgium 3-2 on Sunday. Like Wednesday’s opponents, Poland earned their win having went behind in the first half. Conceding the goal seemed to spark them into life, though, and they were dominant in the end, winning convincingly. Poland were seen as outsiders coming into this group. With Spain and Italy both in their section a win against the Belgians was always going to be needed. They may not have the talent at this disposal of tomorrow’s opponents, but this is a very capable group of players. Many of them are plying their trade in their native league, still, and using this competition to put themselves in the shop window.
The Poles’ have qualified for the finals of these Championships on seven occasions. They have never made it past the group stage since the restructuring in 2002. There’s a caveat to that, however, having only qualified for the finals twice since then. It’s at least an indicator that things are improving with this the second successive time they have qualified.
Key-Facts – Italy U21 v Poland U21
- Italy and Poland both enjoyed fine starts to these Championships and a win here would put them in a good place for topping the group
- Italy have won the competition seven times but not since 2004 whilst Poland are playing in their second successive finals
- The Italians possess some of the best attackers in this competition whilst Poland have scored in 11 of their last 12 competitive games
Italy U21 v Poland U21 Betting Advice
Few would have expected that these two teams would be topping the group after the first set of games. Italy and Poland both know that whoever is victorious in this game will take a massive step to topping the group and reaching the semi-finals. There’s no doubt that the Italians are fancied to get those three points. Their squad contains a higher level of player and also have home advantage. Poland will not feat, that, though, and will be buoyed by the nature of their win against Belgium.
The two have only clashed just once in recent times, a few months before the 2017 competition. Italy ran out 2-1 winners that time and would most certainly take a repeat of that here. The hosts have firepower in abundance in their team and have shown they are committed to getting the ball forward. Everything looks set for another big evening in Bologna for the Italians and they should get the win. Poland are dangerous, however, and will trouble Italy. The Poles have failed to score in just one of their last 11 games, suggesting both teams to score is the way to go here.
