Football Bet of the Day: England’s U21s face quarter-final test

The quarter-finals of the Under-21 European Championship are coming our way this weekend and after a disappointing group stage, England U21 have scraped through in second place. 

It sets up a mouthwatering quarter-final with Spain U21 at the Stadion Antona Malatinskeho (20:00, Channel 4) and is the focus of our Football Bet of the Day. 

Now, I’ve not been too impressed with England’s Under-21s in the group stage, and they’ve honestly not lived up to the billing of defending champions so far. An opening day 4-2 win over Portugal was crucial to their qualification, as they followed it up with a 0-0 against Slovakia, before losing 2-1 to Germany. 

However, Lee Carsley’s men possess a lot of talent and let’s not forget - this is a repeat of the 2023 final which England won 1-0 in dramatic fashion as James Trafford saved a last-gasp penalty from Abel Ruiz. 

Today's Football Fixtures

I think we will see an improvement in performance levels after that Germany defeat, which saw the Young Lions go 2-0 down in quick fashion, before fighting back in the second half. "The performance was not at the level we need,” Carsley said. “When you think of the reaction in the second half that was more like it. It took us to go 2-0 down to get to that point which is disappointing."

The manager has had to deal with the loss of Jobe Bellingham and Liam Delap to the Club World Cup teams, while he only returned to his post in January, which could explain why England have looked so disjointed. So with all this negativity, why am I backing the boys to get the job done?

Well I just think the talent will ultimately shine through. Harvey Elliott, Omari Hutchinson, Elliot Anderson and James McAtee will all be involved and that attacking talent is surely going to count for something. At this tournament England have averaged the most possession, had the highest pass accuracy and rank third for total shots. 

So it’s not a case of them not being in games, rather that they have failed to break down teams that gain a lead over them. I also think Spain suit them as quarter-final opponents, even though they went out and won their group. 

Spain U21 vs England U21 Odds

The Spaniards needed a 90th minute winner to beat Slovakia 3-2, then they only managed to overhaul a one-goal deficit against Romania after their opponents were reduced to 10 late on. In their final group game against Italy they recorded a 1-1 draw, so both teams have scored in each of their three matches, and with England’s questionable defence, I’m also going to back that to come in. 

It may be my patriotism talking, but I feel that England can squeeze out a win in this game even though they are the underdogs. Betfred have them at 11/5 to win this game outright, but it’s a massive 5/1 for Carsley’s youngsters to record a victory in 90 minutes, with both teams to score. 

I think that’s banging value, as if England can avoid falling behind early on, they may be able to control this tie. This should be a cracking watch on Saturday night. 

Offers

Acca Flex: Place a pre-match 5+ leg Football accumulator and get a CASH bonus up to 100% if all of your selections win or your money back as CASH if one leg lets you down

Click here for the latest Football Odds

You can read all our latest Football Bet of the Day offerings at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.