EnglandU21 - France U21 - Tips by users and experts on football, 18 June 2019: UEFA U21 European Championship

Predictions

Odds

Statistics

Match

Both Teams To Score - Yes • 1.72

England head into the Under 21 European Championships aiming to go all the way, especially following the build-up of hype around English football. Their impressive displays in youth tournaments was followed up by their run in Russia last year, which has lifted expectations for the Young Lions. Meanwhile, France come into this clash with the small boost of their senior side being crowned world champions 12 months ago. Can their young talents follow that up with success here?

While these two sides are coming to the Euros packed with talented stars, they aren’t at full strength. There are a few decent names who haven’t made the trip to Italy for one reason or another. Champions League winner Trent Alexander-Arnold and teammate Joe Gomez are both eligible for England; along with Marcus Rashford, Harry Winks and Ben Chilwell. France are missing World Cup winners Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard, while they’ve left out Spurs target Tanguy Ndombele, Ousmane Dembele and Kingsley Coman.

England U21 Win • 2.625

Despite the big-name absentees, there’s plenty to be excited about ahead of this clash. While France are arguably the most impressive nation across international football right now, the future looks bright for England. They are coming off success across the age groups, capped off with their Under 20 World Cup success in 2017. There are 11 players in this squad who were part of the group which won that tournament in South Korea, so England are obviously bringing talent here.

England U21 Win • 2.625

The potential in the Young Lions is obvious. They’ve called up five forwards, four of whom have scored at least seven times for the under 21 side. That doesn’t even include Arsenal attacker Reiss Nelson, who has scored twice in five appearances and is thought of as a star in the making. With Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Phil Foden to supply chances, it’s no shock that England are scoring goals. They’ve hit nine across their last four games, although they’ve conceded in each.

England U21 Win • 2.625

France have kept just one clean sheet in their last six matches, having lost 3-1 to Austria in their last game. Given that the last four meetings between these two sides saw both teams score, we’re backing goals when these two meet again. We’re backing both teams to score in this clash, while we see a 2-1 success for England.