England -21 vs Portugal -21 Prediction & Betting Tips - Euro U21

Prediction published on 30/06/2023, 15:48  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 02/07/2023 at 04:00 in Football Predictions

England will be looking to keep their perfect run at the Euro U21 finals when they take on Portugal. The two meet in the third quarterfinal, on Sunday, having won their closing group games. For the third straight game, England won 2-0, beating defending champions Germany. Having not conceded a goal will definitely pump up their confidence coming into this game. England are just one of the two nations with straight wins in the competition. Their strength and gulf in class is clear so far and England will want to make this count. It is the second time in seven appearances that England have reached the second round. They’ve never been eliminated at the quarterfinal stage of this competition. After resting key players for the last game, Lee Carsley is expected to name a stronger side. Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe has two goals and could be recalled to the starting team.

Portugal, unlike England, took too long to settle in the competition. They have one win in three matches here and will have to be at their best. Rui Jorge’s charges needed a late goal to beat Belgium 2-1 for their first win here. Earlier in the game, Joao Neves’ goal had seen them score first for the second straight game. However, Yorbe Vertessen’s goal meant they are still searching for a first clean sheet. Both sides have scored in Portugal’s last two matches and they’ve conceded twice in one of the three games. Portugal have beaten England in the last two meetings in Euro U21 competitions and will hope to make it three. However, in their first meeting at the knockout stage, recent form doesn’t favor Portugal. They didn’t have the comfort of resting key players in the last game. This is another reason they come to the game as underdogs.