Portugal U21 vs Belgium U21
, KO: 17:00 Jun 27, 2023, Mikheil Meshkhis Sakhelobis Stadioni
Portugal and Belgium square off in their final Group A fixture at the European U21 Championships with both teams still seeking their first win in the competition. Both sides are desperate to get a victory under their belt and could be set to serve up an open encounter filled with goals.
Portugal are coming off a 1-1 draw with Netherlands in their previous fixture in the competition. They want into the break in the lead following Andre Almeida’s early effort but were pegged back midway through the second half and had to settle for a draw.
The result means Portugal are still seeking their first win in the competition after suffering a surprise 2-0 defeat to hosts Georgia in their opening fixture. Rui Jorge’s men are now bottom of the standings and need results to go their way in the final group fixtures to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stage.
Aside from a surprising lack of cutting edge in attack, Portugal have also struggled with defensive problems in the competition. They seem unable to keep things tight at the back and have conceded three goals in two matches in Georgia.
Belgium are also coming off a draw in their previous fixture as they were held 2-2 by Georgia. They raced to a two-goal lead at the break thanks to efforts from Maxim De Cuyper and Largie Ramazani but failed to hold out for the win, conceding the equaliser three minutes from time.
Having played out a 0-0 draw with Netherlands in their opening fixture, Belgium head into Tuesday’s clash also seeking their first win in the competition. However, they are in a much better position to qualify from Group A as a win will see them through, regardless of what happens elsewhere.
The nature of the draw with Georgia will be troubling to manager Jackie Mathijssen as it highlights a defensive vulnerability in his team. There have been a few performances like that for the Dutch side in in the build up to the European Championship as they threw away leads in recent matches with France and Japan.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be expecting a closely fought encounter, with a win for Portugal priced at 6/4 by Paddy Power while a victory for Belgium is set at odds of 8/5 by BoyleSports. Unibet is offering odds of 9/4 for a draw.
Head to head
Portugal have never lost to Belgium at the level, claiming a win and a draw from two previous meetings. The win was a 2-0 triumph in a friendly back in 2013.
Players to watch
Fabio Silva is still without a goal in the competition but remains one of Portugal’s most dangerous attackers and could be worth keeping an eye on. The forward will be looking to take advantage of Belgium’s defensive vulnerability and is priced at 31/20 by Unibet.
Largie Ramazani has looked lively for Belgium in the competition and was rewarded for his efforts with a goal last time out. The attacker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 27/10 by Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
There were over 3.5 goals in Belgium’s previous fixture and a similar outcome is priced at 23/10 with Unibet. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 10/11 with Paddy Power while Betfred is offering odds of 4/6 on both teams to score.
With a closely fought encounter expected on Tuesday, a halftime draw could be on the cards at 23/20 with BoyleSports. There have been a few late showings in this group, so the second half can be tipped to produce the most goals at evens with Paddy Power.
This match between Portugal U21 and Belgium U21 will be played on Jun 27, 2023 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal U21 vs Belgium U21 prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
