Portugal (U21) v France (U21)

• France come into the game as marginal favourites and boast the stronger squad

• Portugal finished top of their qualifying group, scoring 33 goals in the process (in 10 games)

• Thierno Barry is a player to watch for France, the striker has caught the eye of some top clubs around Europe for his performances this year 

A heavyweight clash in the group stages of the EURO U21 Championship sees France take on Portugal in Slovakia, with both sides feeling that they could top the group, with Poland and Georgia making up the other sides.

France finished second in their qualifying group to Slovenia while Portugal romped to top spot, winning nine of their 10 games during qualification. They scored 33 goals across these games and only conceded six.

⭐ Portugal (U21) v France (U21) Predictions and Best Bets

There will be a high level of talent on the pitch here for this opening group game between these sides. Portugal have the likes of future Chelsea star Geovany Quenda and Carlos Forbs, while France are still the envy of international sides at this level with the quality they have in the squad. 

In the friendlies running up the the EURO U21 Championships, both sides saw plenty of goals. Both sides have seen BTTS in four of their last five matches with France testing themselves against Germany, Italy and England in the build up to this tournament. This will have prepared them well for the level of opposition they will face here - they managed to avoid defeat against all three of these sides.

Portugal’s only challenge of note in these recent friendlies was a 4-2 loss to England last time out, which may suggest that Portugal aren’t quite at the level of the other sides in the competition that will be aiming to go far. Their strong qualifying campaign suggests that they can progress through this group, but this opening challenge may be a step too far.

🔴 Portugal Without Their Top Scorer

Portugal were really strong during qualifying for this tournament, winning nine of their 10 games in the group, which comfortably left them sitting top in a group which also featured Croatia and Greece.

What is worth noting is that the top scorer from the qualifying campaign in Fabio Silva (8) is no longer with the squad as he is injured, so Portugal will have to replace his goals from somewhere if they want to go deep in this competition. 

Their lack of an appropriate replacement for Silva could be costly against sides that can be relentless in the final third, as Portugal experienced in their 4-2 defeat to England last time out.

🔵 France Have The Talent To Lift The Trophy

France will feel that they have the talent to go all the way in this tournament and lift the trophy for the very first time, which is quite surprising when considering the quality that has been in this U21 side over the last few years.

France will have been disappointed with their qualifying campaign, they were pipped to top spot by Slovenia in a competitive group, which saw France win five of their eight matches. Their standout player during qualifying was Rayan Cherki, who is now making waves with the senior side.

They were the top scorers in their qualifying group with 22 goals across the eight matches. One player to watch for goals during the tournament for France is Thierno Barry who has enjoyed a solid season for Villarreal and is on the radar of some of the top clubs around Europe.

📊 Portugal (U21) v France (U21) Head-to-Head Key Stats

The last meeting between these sides took place over 10 years ago in 2014, as France ran out 2-1 winners in the Toulon Tournament.

Prior to this match, Portugal defeat France 1-0 in 2011, in a friendly fixture. This form bears very little significance given how much time has passed.

Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Andy's Bet Club is packed full of Expert Football Tips and World Cup 2026 Tips, we also have an easy-to-use Bet Builder Stats tool to help you conduct your own research. Look out for the latest Gem Bets and Club World Cup Predictions on ABC this week.

For Wednesday's slate of fixtures, we also have a Goals Algorithm Accumulator and a Brazilian Serie A Treble.

When backing our tips, you'll want to be doing so on the Top Bet Builder Sites and Best UK Sports Betting Sites. We also track the best offers, such as the Paddy Power Sign Up Offer and Betfair Sign Up Offer. There's a list of the latest New Bookmaker Offers here.

* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.