Portugal vs Italy predictions for this UEFA U21 Championship battle on Monday at Stadion Stozice. Two of European football’s great youth teams, Portugal and Italy, face each other in the quarter-finals, but who will make it through to the semi-finals? Read on for our free predictions and betting tips.
Portugal
Portugal’s best results at the U21 European Championships are two runner-up finishes. However, Portugal played poorly in the last edition of the tournament, failing to make it through qualifying.
Portugal go into the quarter-finals having topped their group and having conceded no goals across their three matches.
Italy
Italy have won five U21 European titles, the joint-most of any country (tied with Spain). However, much of the Italians’ success came in the 1990s, when they won the tournament in 1992, 1994 and 1996.
The Italians are not the favourites to win this year’s edition, but their well-documented ability to put in consistently solid performances mean that they should never be underestimated
Italy go into the quarter-finals on the back of two draws and a win, having conceded just one goal in three games.
Key Stats
Portugal vs Italy Predictions
Of all the quarter finals, this appears to be the most evenly-matched. Both countries are defensively strong and present tough opposition, but thanks to the high quality of a few individual players who excel in these kinds of matches, we see the Italians as slight favourites.
Neither side has conceded many goals in the group stage, and in a quarter-final, where the loser will be eliminated, neither side will want to take many risks. We expect this game to be decided by the narrowest of margins.