France U21s and Italy U21s begin their respective quests for European glory with a highly-anticipated showdown on Thursday evening. We’ve previewed the game and have given you our best bets for the occasion.
France U21 vs Italy U21 Tips
Thursday 22nd June, 2023
19:45
Cluj Arena
France (21/20) are bidding to win their first U21 European Championship since 1988, and they kick-off their campaign with a real European heavyweight clash on Thursday.
Since 2019, Les Bleuets have recorded semi-final and quarter-final finishes, and they will expect to improve on that in Romania and Georgia.
They came through their qualifying campaign with eight wins and two draws from 10 matches, only conceding five times while scoring an impressive 31 strikes, and will certainly be ones to watch at this tournament.
Meanwhile, Italy (21/10) haven’t lifted this trophy since 2004, and exited the competition at the quarter-final stage in 2021 at the hands of Portugal.
After coming through qualifying with seven wins and three draws, Gli Azzurrini will be contenders, particularly on the back of just reaching the Under-20 World Cup final
Team News
Bernard Diomède has a strong squad to choose from, with many already operating at first-team level across Europe’s major leagues.
With Benoit Badiashile absent through injury, Loic Bade could start in central defence on the back of helping Sevilla win the Europa League.
Italy boss Paolo Nicolato also has a strong and experienced squad to choose from, with the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Sandro Tonali included despite already appearing at senior level for the Italian national team.
Match result – draw @ 23/10
Opening fixtures like these are often tough to call, but both nations have plenty of attacking quality, and I can see both sides cancelling each other out.
France have lost just two of their last 20 international matches, however, they finished fourth in the recent Tournoi Maurice Revello tournament, winning just one of those five games in 90 minutes. Bernard Diomede will know that his side will need to up their game here.
Italy come into this game having enjoyed back-to-back wins over Serbia and Ukraine in preparation for this tournament, but this France side are a step-up in quality.
Both teams to score @ 4/6
In the recent Tournoi Maurice Revello tournament, both teams scored in four of France’s five games.
Italy have also struggled for clean sheets, though, with just one in their seven most recent fixtures. In addition, the last meeting between these nations finished as a 1-1 draw.
*All prices correct at the time of writing.
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