Spain U21 v France U21
Thursday 27th June 2000hrs
Football – International – UEFA U21 Championship
Pick Spain
Bookmaker Betfair
Odds: 21/20 (odds taken 22.10 GMT, Wednesday 26th June)
If you could handpick two powerhouses to face each other in these Championships, it would be Spain v France. And that’s what we can look forward to on Thursday evening in the second semi-final.
UEFA U21 Championship Betting at Betfair
Spain Preview – Are Spain set to reign in Europe once again?
It was a slow start for Spain, but they made it to the knockout phase which pretty much everybody expected them to do. So often in these tournaments when it’s only the group winners who are guaranteed progression one defeat can be fatal. The fact Spain suffered a loss in their opening game put them right up against it but they have gotten stronger by the game. The 3-1 loss to hosts Italy meant nothing less than two wins would do in their remaining group games. A last gasp show against Belgium gave them something to hold on to before powering away against Poland. The 5-0 win their final game was the performance we have come to expect from a Spanish team.
Top spot was always likely to come down to goal difference in their section and that’s the way it proved. Spain scored at will and moved ahead of the Italians to top the group.
Leading the charge for Spain in this tournament has been the excellent Dani Ceballos. The midfielder was sensational two years ago and his performances earned his move to Real Madrid. It’s not worked out for him there and he could well be on the move again. One thing’s for sure is he will not be short of admirers going by his performances in this competition.
France – Will the French finally put it all together?
There’s a case to be made for France having the best squad in this tournament but they have not been all that impressive so far. A 2-1 win over England was laboured in their opening game whilst the 1-0 success against Croatia was again workmanlike. Despite that, it was maximum points for Les Bleus and meant they went into their final group game against Romania requiring a point. With Group C the last to finish both teams were aware a draw would see them qualify. It meant the final result was not overly surprising and seen the French qualify as the best runners up. The hope will be now that their group of supremely talented players can put it all together on Thursday. For them to progress to the final a much better all-round performance is going to be needed.
Moussa Dembele was essentially rested for the final group game to ensure he’s at full fitness for this game. Considering qualification was not guaranteed it was something of a risk but Dembele’s absence was felt. He scored the only goal against Croatia and the Lyon forward will be crucial to his country’s hopes of reaching their first final since the competition was reformatted.
Key-Facts – Spain U21 v France U21
- The Spanish have grown stronger with each passing game at this tournament and thrashed Poland 5-0 in their last game
- Big things were expected of France but they required the best runners up spot to qualify and have yet to click
- This is a stage of the tournament Spain know well and have reached three of the last four finals
Spain v France Betting Advice
Big things were expected from these two squads of players coming into this tournament. It’s fair to say that Spain have gotten stronger game by game and seem to be peaking at the right time. France, on the other hand, have been less impressive. It could be argued the French are doing just enough to get by, but a massive performance will be required here. The Spanish have enjoyed more success at the Championships as well, winning it in both 2011 and 2013 so understand what it takes at this stage.
There will be an unbelievable amount of talent on show when these teams take the field tomorrow. It will hopefully set us up for a brilliant game, but the indication is on this being a tightly contested affair. France have not been fluent and likely to fear opening up against a Spain team who can pick off the best when given space. Regardless of how it plays out I expect the Spanish to have a bit too much for their opponents. They’ve reached the final on three of the last four occasions and can do so again.
