Portugal U21 vs Netherlands U21
, KO: 17:00 Jun 24, 2023, Mikheil Meshkhis Sakhelobis Stadioni
Portugal and Netherlands continue their campaign in Group A of the UEFA U21 Championships in Georgia and Romania with a clash on Saturday.
Portugal began their campaign in the competition with a 2-0 defeat to hosts Georgia in their opening fixture. They were wasteful in attack, failing to find the net despite dominating the possession and having multiple attempts on goal.
While it was a disappointing result, manager Rui Jorge will have it down to rustiness as Portugal had not been in action since March when they claimed a 3-0 victory over Norway. The Portuguese had been in good form prior to the defeat to Georgia as they had claimed eight wins in nine matches across all competitions.
Another reason for Portugal to feel confident of getting things back on track is their fine record in this competition having reached the final two years ago. They were also one of the most prolific teams during the qualifiers, putting away an impressive 41 goals in the road to securing a place in Georgia.
Netherlands also failed to secure a win in their opening fixture, although they managed to hold out for a 0-0 draw with Belgium. It was an even encounter with both teams guilty of missing clear-cut opportunities.
The Dutch are two-time winners of this competition, although they have failed to play in the final since 2007 and only made it to the last four in 2021. However, this current group of players have brought renewed hope after going through the qualifiers unbeaten.
While Netherlands will be keen to get things back on track in Georgia, the result in their opening fixture is an extension of their recent form. Erwin van den Looi's men have won just once in their last five matches, although the other four fixtures have ended in draws.
How the bookies view it
The bookies appear to be expecting a closely fought encounter with a win for Portugal priced at 7/4 with Unibet while a victory for Netherlands is valued at 17/10 by BetVictor. A draw is set at odds of 9/4 by BetVictor.
Head to head
Portugal have a 3-2 advantage with one draw from 10 previous matches against Netherlands. The most recent meeting between both teams was a clash in the 2020 competition which ended 2-1 in favour of the Portuguese.
Players to watch
Fabio Silva was one of the stars for Portugal during the qualifiers and will be keen to open his goalscoring account in Georgia. The forward has six goals in his last 10 international appearances and is priced at 6/4 by Unibet to find the net on Saturday.
Brian Brobbey has been one of the stars for Netherlands in recent times and has even made a few appearances for the senior team. With eight goals in 13 appearances for the U21s, the forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 39/20 by Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is no shortage of attacking quality on display here and with both teams desperate to jumpstart their campaign, goals could be expected here. Both teams could be backed to score at 4/5 with William Hill, who is also offering odds of 21/29 for over 2.5, with over 3.5 goals priced at 13/5 by Paddy Power.
Portugal appear to have more options in attack and could be tipped to score first on Saturday at evens with BoyleSports.
This match between Portugal U21 and Netherlands U21 will be played on Jun 24, 2023 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal U21 vs Netherlands U21 prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
