Stefan Kuntz’s Germany face off against Albert Celades’ Spain in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final this Friday night in the Stadion Cracovia, Krakow.
The Spanish, who have been scintillating in Poland, are the bookies’ favourites to seal a fifth U21 Euro crown. However, it’s never a good idea to rule out the Germans completely, as you can guarantee Kuntz’s boys will have a real go in Krakow.
Will Spain’s dominant attack breach Germany’s astute defence, or can the Germans cause somewhat of an upset in the Stadion Cracovia under the lights on Friday night? One thing is for sure, the two best sides have made the final and we should be in for a thrilling game.
Germany U21 v Spain U21
We’ve been treated to some outstanding football over the course of two weeks in Poland. There have been plenty of goals, memorable matches and world class football on show. Germany reached the final by seeing off England on penalties in Tychy on Tuesday, while Spain eased passed the Italians in their semi with a 3-1 win in Krakow shortly after.
These two nations have without doubt been the two strongest teams in this year’s tournament. They are worthy finalists, and we should be in for a fascinating matchup between Germany and Spain in Krakow this Friday evening.
Despite winning their opening two matches without conceding a single goal, the Germans lost their final group match to finish second to Italy. In the semi-finals, although they dominated for large periods against the Young Lions in the Stadion Miejski, they struggled to put Aidy Boothroyd’s men away. Nevertheless, the Germans did what the Germans do best, beating England on penalties to reach the final.
As for La Rojita, they were unstoppable on their way to first place in Group B, winning all three group matches without breaking sweat. They beat Macedonia 5-0, Portugal 3-1 and Serbia 1-0. Last time out against Italy, a Saul Niguez hat-trick inspired the Spaniards to a routine 3-1 victory over Luigi Di Biagio’s boys.
As we touched on, these two have been the tournament’s two best sides by quite some distance. However, it’s no surprise to see Celades’ men as the strong favourites to get the job done on Friday. The semi against Italy was no doubt their toughest assignment of the competition and, although Roberto Gagliardini’s red card helped their cause, Spain were a cut above the Italians on Wednesday.
The Spanish have kept two clean sheets on their way to the final, and we believe they are a good bet to keep another one on Friday. With that in mind, we feel the standout bet here is Spain to win to nil in the Stadion Cracovia, which is available at the tempting price of 13/5 at BetVictor.
Spain U21 to Win to Nil – 13/5 at BetVictor