France kicked off their EURO U21 campaign with a 0-0 draw against Portugal, this second encounter should be more exciting with France facing a Georgia side that will be full of confidence following their 2-1 win over Poland in the opening game of the tournament, a victory secured thanks to a 94th minute winner. 

France have been stalked by issues in the build up to this tournament, from the football association refusing to send requested players to Slovenia pipping them to top spot in the qualifying group. This resulted in the dismissal of the head coach with Gerlad Baticle stepping in to pick up the pieces. Some of this tension was evident in France’s opening game against Portugal and it was certainly present during their qualifying games in which they saw 28 games across eight matches (3.5 per game).

Georgia have already shown they can offer an attacking threat to France after scoring twice against Poland. They finished second in their qualifying group to a rampant Netherlands outfit who won all 10 of their matches in Group C. Georgia managed to score 14 goals across their games in the qualification period which is a return that indicates that France could be tested at the back here. This is a must win for Gerald Baticle’s side if they want to avoid a tense game in the final group match against Poland.

Both sides will be looking to pick up their first win of the U21 European Championships when they face off on Saturday evening. Portugal contested a competitive but cagey 0-0 draw against France in their opening game of the tournament while Poland fell to a 94th minute goal against Georgia which will have dampened their confidence heading into two games against Portugal and France who are the strongest sides in the group on paper. 

Portugal won nine of their 10 games in qualifying for this tournament, beating Croatia to top spot by five points. They scored 33 goals across these fixtures, only conceding 6. Portugal created plenty of chances against France in their opener with Geovany Quenda standing out for Rui Jorge’s side - Portugal also have the advantage of having a coach that is vastly experienced at this level with this tournament marking his fifth in charge of the U21 side. 

Poland saw BTTS in all four of their friendlies in the build up to this tournament which would suggest that they can offer an attacking threat to Portugal having also scored in both games against Germany during qualifying, scoring three goals in their last qualifying game against Germany which earned them a point, they only finished four points behind the Germans in Group D, scoring 24 goals across their 10 qualifying matches.  

Neither of these sides have solid defensive records, as expected from two teams fighting near the bottom of the Western Conference. LA Galaxy have conceded the most goals in MLS this season (36), with 21 of those coming away from home (58%). St Louis, meanwhile, have shown they can capitalise on shaky defenses, especially at home, where they’ve avoided defeat in five of their eight games this season.

While St Louis have only won two of those eight home matches, their form at home is far stronger than LA Galaxy’s dismal away record. The Galaxy have lost seven of their nine games on the road this season and are yet to secure a single win on their travels. Given St Louis’ ability to grind out results at home and LA’s defensive vulnerabilities, the hosts are well positioned to secure all three points this time around. 

When these sides met in March, St Louis dominated with a 3-0 victory, highlighting their ability to exploit LA’s weaknesses. With both teams prone to defensive lapses, St Louis can be backed to win while also conceding, making St Louis to win and both teams to score a compelling choice for this matchup.