Spain U21 v England U21

After failing to top their qualification group, England arguably have the toughest assignment of the quarter-finals as they take on Spain in a rematch of the 2023 final, which the Three Lions won 1-0. England will be looking for an improvement on their performances in the tournament so far after winning just one of their three group games, which was a victory that came against Czechia in the opening game. 

Spain did manage to top their group, coming out ahead of Italy, Slovakia and Romania. They won two and drew one of their games in the group stages, but did show some defensive vulnerability, which England will look to exploit. Spain failed to keep a clean sheet in all three of their group games. 

⭐ Spain U21 v England U21 Predictions and Best Bets

Neither of these sides have put in their best performances at the tournament yet, but that isn’t always the worst scenario in a knockout-style competition, where it can be beneficial to grow into the tournament instead of peaking in the group or early knockout stages. Spain have certainly been more convincing than England so far but have shown defensive vulnerabilities, conceding four goals across their three games in the group and failing to keep a clean sheet in any of these games, including assignments against Romania and Slovakia. 

This should encourage England, who only managed to keep one clean sheet themselves in the group stages, which came in a 0-0 draw against Slovenia. England look like a side that is missing a focal point upfront, Liam Delap withdrawing from the side to link up with Chelsea the Club World Cup has blunted England slightly and it has been difficult for Lee Carsley to find a replacement at short notice with Jonathan Rowe leading the line for England in the games so far. 

This has the makings of quite an entertaining quarter-final tie, seeing as neither side has been convincing at the back yet, which would suggest that whoever comes through this quarter-final will have to score more than once to secure their progression to the final four. 

🇪🇸 Late Goals Power Spain U21 Into Knockouts but Defensive Gaps Remain

Spain have already had to dig deep on a few occasions in this tournament to ensure that they reached this stage of the competition. They kicked off their campaign with a 3-2 win over the host nation, Slovakia. They took a two-goal lead after just 18 minutes but were quickly pegged back with two quickfire goals by Slovakia just after half time to bring the scoreline level. Spain were forced to wait until the 90th minute to get their winner with centre back Cesar Tarrega heading home late on. 

They followed this up with a 2-1 victory over Romania, which was just as dramatic in fashion as Spain scored in the 85th and 88th minutes after falling behind in the first four minutes. Spain have been pretty dominant in their games so far, but crucially have given the opposition opportunities to get back into the game, something which should be more regularly punished by a side with the quality that England possess. 

Their final game of the group was a 1-1 draw against Italy. There was a lot of rotation from both sides in this game, so we can expect La Roja to be pretty well rested heading into this quarter. Mateo Joseph is a player worth keeping an eye on for Spain. He scored in the opening game and was unlucky not to add to this tally against Romania, missing from the penalty spot.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chopped and Changed England U21 Side Yet to Find Their Rhythm

England kicked off their U21 EURO campaign with a convincing 3-1 win over Czechia, but things have become a little more complicated for Lee Carsley’s side since then, with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia followed up by a 2-1 defeat to a heavily rotated German side. 

Lee Carsley has had to contend with constant chopping and changing of his preferred squad, with players constantly pulling out and being replaced. The Club World Cup has had a direct impact on this, with players like Jobe Bellingham and Liam Delap opting to represent their club sides at the Club World Cup instead of representing England in Slovakia.

The absence of Delap is particularly noticeable, England often lack a physical presence in the final third, which leads to a lack of penetration with plenty of players who are comfortable on the ball, but lacking that final finish.

📊 Spain U21 v England U21 Head-to-Head Key Stats

These sides met in the 2023 U21 European Championship final which saw England run out 1-0 winners thanks to a deflected free kick and a late James Trafford penalty save. Both squads have changed quite a bit since then, but Lee Carsley was in the dugout for that final win and will be hoping that he can lead England past Spain again to reach the final four in Slovakia. 

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