Portugal U21 Vs Italy U21
Portugal U21 Vs Italy U21 Monday 31 May 2021 – 20:00 (Sky Sports)
UEFA Euro U21 Championship
Pick: Both Teams to Score – NO!
Odds: 20/23
Bookmaker: Betfair
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 29th May 2021)
Preview: Two of the most miserly defences left in the tournament meet in Ljubujana, Slovenia where Portugal – a two-time runner-up but never a winner – meet five-time winners Italy for a spot in the semi-final against either of Spain or Croatia.
UEFA Euro U21 Championship Betting at Betfair
Table of Contents
Portugal – Another patient display anticipated?
Group D winners Portugal breezed through their section. Which, considering they had exited at the group stage in four of eight previous tournament appearances, may have taken some neutral observers by surprise. Along with Denmark and Spain though, they are one of three sides yet to be breached at these finals, having dispatched with all of Croatia, England and Switzerland without conceding.
The Portuguese tend to bide their time, as exhibited by the fact all but one of their six goals scored at this year’s tournament came after the half-time interval. In-play backers should pay close attention to the hour mark especially. No team has scored more often between the minutes of 60 and 70 than Portugal (4) who netted during this period in all three encounters, with two of these being the game’s opening strike.
Italy – Will ill-discipline prove their undoing?
Despite a modest tally of one win and five points accrued in Group B, the Italians still squeezed through to their eleventh Euro U21 quarter-final – that more than any other nation has managed – largely on account of their big win over co-hosts Slovenia in their final game of the group. Tightly fought contests with the Czech Republic (1-1) and Spain (0-0) preceded that, in which they were reduced to nine men in both.
Maintaining discipline will be crucial against the Portuguese, whose assured displays until now suggests any numerical disadvantage would make a stiff assignment more taxing. However, in contrast to their flawless opposition, Gli Azzurrini have tended to be quick out of the gates: only two teams at these finals plundered more first-half goals than the Italians (3), who are yet to concede before the interval.
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Portugal Vs Italy
There can be little doubt as to which of these sides has caught the eye more at these finals. Italy (W1 D2) boast a wealth of experience but only managed one win in Group B as they finished runners-up to Spain. Their progress is impressive, however, for the simple fact two of three encounters so far saw them reduced to nine men – albeit all four red cards were distributed too late into proceedings to really affect the results.
Portugal U21 Vs Italy U21 – Key Facts:
- Neither of these teams has sampled losing at these finals (Portugal: W3, Italy: W1 D2), while the Italians are the only one of this pair to have conceded a goal.
- Four of six combined matches at the tournament produced Under 2.5 Goals, while Both Teams to Score landed in only one encounter (Czech Republic 1-1 Italy).
- Three of four Italian goals came in the first-half. Conversely, five of the six goals Portugal netted came in the second period, opening the scoring in the 60-70th minute period on two occasions.
Portugal (W3) breezed through as Group D winners, winning all three fixtures without so much as conceding. It means that between them their defences have only been breached on one occasion – an own goal scored by the Czech Republic against the Italians. A game of few goals seems probable, therefore. Under 2.5 Goals returned in four of these teams six combined matches at this tournament, while Both Teams to Score returned only once, suggesting that defences could dominate in Slovenia.
Best Betting Odds – Portugal U21 Vs Italy U21
Portugal – Evens (Betway)
Draw – 5/2 (Betfair)
Italy – 5/2 (PaddyPower)
