Croatia U21 and Romania U21 wrap up their U21 European Championship campaign in Tuesday’s clash as they each search for a consolation victory.
After losing both of their games at this tournament so far, hosts Romania can’t make it to the knockout stage of the U21 European Championship. However, their final group game is against Croatia, another side with two defeats from two.
Can Romania give their home support something to cheer in this final game, or will Croatia secure a victory?
Croatia U21 vs Romania U21 Betting Tips
Date: Tuesday 27th June
Time: 19:45
Location: Stadionul Steaua, Bucharest
Team news
With both sides heading into this clash with nothing to play for, we’re likely to see some rotation across the two starting lineups.
Croatian standout Martin Baturina may exit the side after starting the first two games, while they’re likely to switch things up in attack. Dion Drena Beljo started up front in each of Croatia’s defeats, so they could turn to Vitesse forward Gabriel Vidovic.
Romania have a more experienced group than most at the tournament, with plenty of players set to move on after this summer. Two of their highest-capped players at this level – Vladimir Screciu and David Miculescu – could feature as they’ll have aged out by the next under-21s cycle.
Over 2.5 goals @ 5/6
Neither of these sides have impressed at the tournament so far, each suffering losses to nil across their first two games. While they’ve both failed to score, the pair have been too open defensively and that should lead to a change in fortunes going forward in the final game.
Croatia were a side that saw plenty of high-scoring games in qualifying for this competition. Including their two-legged playoff against Denmark, eight of their final 10 qualifiers saw over 2.5 goals land, with 20 goals scored across their last five.
In their last eight games the Croatians have managed only one clean sheet, so there should be a chance for the hosts to get forward and score. However, Romania have conceded at least twice in five of their last eight games and recent results have made their lack of quality at this level abundantly clear.
We also can’t ignore the fact that the competitive edge will be removed from this game, which tends to make matches a bit more open. With rotation likely and a little more freedom afforded to the players, backing over 2.5 goals in this clash looks like the best option.
Croatia to win 3-1 @ 16/1
Croatia were hammered 4-1 by Romania at the U21 Euros in 2019 but they have an opportunity for a little revenge this summer.
The hosts were clearly struggling in the build-up to this tournament, losing eight of their last 11 internationals, while they had to rely on friendly games to build up to the competition.
Croatia won seven of 10 games in their qualifying group and a 2-1 win over England in March suggested they could cause problems at this tournament. While it didn’t pan out that way, they should prove too strong for a Croatian side who have lost by two or more goals in four of their previous eight internationals.
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