England U21 vs Germany U21 Prediction: Young Lions face their toughest test yet

England Under-21s face Germany Under-21s for their final match of Group B at the Uefa European Under-21 Championship on Wednesday (20:00 BST, Channel 4) at Stadion pod Zoborom. Germany have already booked their place in the knockout stage after winning their opening two matches, while the Young Lions are hoping to join them after Wednesday's events.

Lee Carsley's side will progress regardless of the result here as long as Czech Republic Under-21s (fourth in Group B) avoid defeat against Slovenia Under-21s. Read on for my England U21 vs Germany U21 predictions, accompanied by the latest team news and match odds.

Football Odds

Team News

After a drab 0-0 draw with Slovenia in their opening match, England looked a lot sharper against the Czech Republic as they recorded a 3-1 victory. Former Norwich City man Jon Rowe was on the scoresheet, having led the line from the off.

There are growing whispers that Birmingham City's Jay Stansfield could be handed a start at the top end of the pitch as the squad's only recognised forward, due to Liam Delap's participation at the Fifa Club World Cup with Chelsea.

Stansfield netted 24 goals in all competitions for the Blues in their promotion season from League 1 and so far he has been limited to a handful of minutes out in Slovakia.

Rowe could potentially drop out of the XI entirely, but may be also deployed in one of the other three attacking positions, which were held by Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee and Harvey Elliott last time out.

Other players who will be pushing for attacking roles are Ethan Nwaneri, Samuel Iling-Junior and Tom Fellows.

Charlie Cresswell and Jarrell Quansah are set to partner each other in defence again, with Tino Livramento and Archie Gray operating as the full-backs.

Germany U21 can afford to rest players for their clash with England but I don't think that's the way boss Antonio Di Salvo will play it. The Young Lions, as the reigning champions, are going to be Die Mannschaft's toughest test in Group B.

Germany will want to challenge themselves in preparation for the knockout stage against a side tipped to venture far in Slovakia, so I think there will be few alterations, if any.

Nick Woltemade of VfB Stuttgart has been grabbing all the headlines so far with four goals in two matches - and no player at the tournament has managed more than him.

The confidence gained from a respectable 12-goal haul in the Bundesliga, as well as a DFB-Pokal title, has set him up nicely for the Euros and has been one of the standout stars to date. He should continue in attack for Die U21 as he bids to pull away in the Golden Boot race.

Mainz 05's Paul Nebel has been impressive on the wing and was on the scoresheet against Czech Republic last time out but his future with Germany remains clouded.

Nebel was speaking last week about the fact that he is being courted by the Football Association of Ireland about switching his international allegiance, as he qualifies through his grandmother.

He said: “After the season, they [FAI] started courting me more intensively… If things don’t work out with the DFB at some point, then I’ll have to think about it, because Ireland is in my heart”.

Brighton & Hove Albion's Brajan Gruda has been playing on the right flank and he will be hoping his performances here can earn him more starts in the Premier League next term.

England U21 vs Germany U21 Odds

England have won two of their last three matches and they are 13/8 to come out on top in this clash.

Germany are marketed at the same price, which has an implied probability of 38.1% - and they have won four matches on the bounce in all competitions.

Four of the 20 meetings between the two sides have ended in a stalemate, and the draw is marketed at 12/5 for Wednesday.

Both teams have been involved in one match at the Euros so far which have featured goals at both ends. BTTS is available at 4/7.

Woltemade is the favourite to score anytime in this match at 7/5, while Stansfield leads the way for England at 2/1.

Germany U21 and both teams to score @ 10/3

From what we have seen at the Euros so far, I think Germany have been the best side, particularly from an attacking point of view, and this will be a huge challenge for England to overcome.

Whilst their chances of progressing to the knockout stage with Germany are favourable, it may not be in their hands. Their victory over Czech Republic was much-needed but they are the worst team in the group, while the draw with Slovenia raised some concerns.

Carsley's best chance will be having a recognised forward in the team and the only option he has is Stansfield. His movement will be needed to try and unlock Germany's defence, but it may not be enough against Di Salvo's men.

England look like they are still finding themselves in Slovakia while Germany are focused and have their sights set on the title. I do believe this will be an interesting game in which both teams find the net, but I think Germany will be able to edge it.

Nick Woltemade anytime goalscorer @ 7/5

I've been singing his praises throughout this preview so of course I am going to back him to score again. Woltemade is the top scorer at the Euros with four goals and he is going to provide Germany's biggest attacking threat against the Young Lions.

Carsley will drill into his defenders that they cannot afford the forward much time and space as he has the quality to punish them. The 23-year-old has been in great form at the tournament so far and he is playing with such confidence that I think England will struggle to keep him quiet.

I fancy him to strike for the third consecutive game.

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