Kick-off: 1700, 03/06/2021
Stadium: Stadion Ljudski vrt
TV: Sky Sports
Spain made harder work of getting past Croatia at U21 Euro 2021 than they should have done but still get the nod to see off Portugal in the semi-finals.
Their opponents made it past Italy in an absolute thriller and must be respected but can be tactically naive at times.
We’re sticking with La Rojita at 33/20 to win in normal time for our first Spain U21 vs Portugal U21 prediction.
A Look At Spain’s Betting Odds
Spain have dominated this tournament for the past decade, lifting the trophy for the third time in five renewals two years ago and also reaching the final in 2017.
Luis de la Fuente’s side looked in control against Croatia after Javi Puado put them in front on 66 minutes.
However, they were made to pay for several wasted opportunities and Yeremi Pino’s incredible late miss when conceding a stoppage-time penalty.
Thankfully, Puado produced another cool finish on the break in extra-time to send the holders through.
The Espanyol forward said: “We knew Croatia would make it difficult for us – they are physically strong and have quality players.
“Of course, we had to dig deep to progress, but we’ve managed it and are very happy.”
Former Manchester City winger Brahim Diaz looked a threat throughout and Roma playmaker Gonzalo Villar can hopefully now start.
Looking at the Spain U21 vs Portugal U21 odds, we like 15/4 for La Rojita to be more clinical up front and win with over 2.5 goals in the game.
A Look At Portugal’s Betting Odds
Portugal led Italy early on thanks to Dany Mota’s spectacular overhead kick and the Monza forward doubled the advantage with a fierce strike.
Tommaso Pobega scrambled a goal back for Italy and Diogo Costa had to make a fine save before a neat finish from Goncalo Ramos put his side in control again.
However, Portugal were very open at the back as Gianluca Scamacca and Patrick Cutrone struck from close range for Gli Azzurrini.
In extra-time, Italy had Matteo Lovato sent off and Esperancas took advantage to win 5-3 thanks to Jota and Francisco Conceicao.
Mota commented: “Now, we need to recover and get ready for the semi-final, which will be another tough match.”
Portugal have won 11 straight games in this tournament, including qualifying, so should be full of confidence.
However, they do appear defensively fragile, so 9/2 for La Rojita to prevail and both teams to score completes our Spain U21 vs Portugal U21 betting tips.
Additional stats
Last result:
SPAIN 2-1 Croatia (AET) – Puado (2)
PORTUGAL 5-3 Italy (AET) – Mota (2), Ramos, Jota, Conceicao
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