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

Prediction published on 26/06/2023, 12:59  by Joseph King | Modified on 26/06/2023 at 12:59 in Football Predictions

Defending champions Germany are facing elimination when they take on international rivals England for the final group stage match of the 2023 U21 Euros. Germany are third in Group C with only one point to their name while England sit comfortably atop the standings with six points from their two matches. England have already secured themselves a spot in the quarter-finals as the Group C winners. Germany, meanwhile, must win this game while also hoping that Israel is able to beat the Czech Republic. A draw for the Czech’s would see them through as the second-place team thanks to their superior head-to-head record over the Germans. 

With the group already secured, we are likely to see England U21 manager Lee Carsley rotate some of his regular starters with this being a golden opportunity to give some of the other members of the squad a run out. While this will certainly work in Germany’s favor, it’s not to say that the young Three Lions are simply rolling over and conceding defeat. This England U21 side is arguably the deepest squad in the tournament and the fact that players like Harvey Elliot and Cole Palmer come off the bench is all you need to know. We’re likely to see the aforementioned Liverpool and Man City starlets make the starting 11 here. England U21 have now won their last two matches to nil, recovering nicely from a two match losing skid suffered just before this competition started. They’ve now won five of their last seven overall, scoring 14 goals during that stretch and keeping four clean sheets. 

The Germany U21 squad is in crisis mode as they face the very real possibility of exiting the tournament in the group stage as the defending champions. The Germans have been extremely wasteful this tournament and have been unable to convert their chances. Their opener against Israel saw them dominate 78% of the possession and create five clear cut scoring chances in a 1-1 draw. Germany’s most recent match against the Czech Republic would follow a similar script. They controlled 70% of the ball and pelted the Czech goal with 28 total shots, although only seven of which landed on target. They now face their toughest test of the group stage against an England side that is in fine defensive form. With Germany’s inability to keep teams off the scoresheet, we see a group stage exit in their future.