European U21 Championship: overall winner Spain

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March 11, 2025

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Our pick: European U21 Championship: overall winner Spain

11.06.2025 18:00

The U21 European Championship will be held in Slovakia this time, which will be a big advantage for many teams, and the commuting distance for Czech fans should help the Lions as well.

Coach Jan Suchopárek’s squad may have come through the 2025 European Championship qualifiers with a scraped back, having to go all the way to the barrage against Belgium, but the team showed great mental resilience, teamwork and physical preparedness. In one game, the team is capable of beating virtually anyone, including favourites like England or Germany. The team’s big weapon is standard situations, the squad includes a number of skilled players such as Chaloupek, Fila, Icha, Vydra, Prebsl, Vecheta and others. But the team also has football quality in Jurásek or Karabec, so the Czech team does not have to go to Slovakia with fears, on the contrary, it can pleasantly surprise.

The biggest favourite according to the qualification is the Dutch national team. The Tulips passed their group without losing a flower, they were 100% in ten matches with a respectable score of 32:3. It is true that the group with Sweden or Georgia was a bit weaker, but a number of players are already playing in the top Eredivisie and are in the sights of more wealthy clubs from the top five European competitions, which are happy to buy interesting players in Holland, some of them even have already had foreign engagements like Ohio or Manhoef. The former was then the third top scorer in the Euro 21 qualifiers. The team is mainly decorated with speed parameters.

Other teams have also gone through the Euro 21 qualifiers without defeat, one of them being the last finalists from Spain. The team from the Iberian Peninsula drew once out of ten matches, and enjoyed victories in the remaining matches. The team is technically excellent, the team is adorned with ball possession and combinations. Although the roster will be missing Lamine Jamal, who practically skipped the aforementioned category, there are other diamonds in the team like Samu, Casado, Torre and Huijsen. Moreover, Spain has an acceptable group from which promotion is a must. Even in the play-offs, then, coach Denia’s charges will confirm their quality.

We cannot forget the defending gold medalists from 2023, the England national team. Albion won their group only at the last moment, when Ukraine stumbled twice, but on the other hand the island team was the most productive team of all, scoring 41 goals in ten matches. Ben Futcher’s squad benefits from the fact that the players can play at the tremendous pace that the Premier League brings. The tournament could then feature great names like Quensah, Gittens or Rodgers, all of the aforementioned have made huge performance leaps this season. However, a permanent move to the A-League could also follow, which would be a significant handicap.

Portugal (9-0-1), on the other hand, won their group by a convincing margin, led by Fabio Silva. The Las Palmas striker became the all-time top scorer with eight goals, proving his class in the Spanish La Liga. But the team is missing several stars or difference players. On the other hand, virtually anyone can make a difference up front, with most players playing regularly for smaller Portuguese teams. Porto’s players, on the other hand, don’t have the same minutes as the others.

The Czech team’s opponent will be our western neighbour. Germany dominated their group, but the team is plagued by a slightly shakier defence, which will prove to be a weakness when facing top teams. Moukoko, one of the team’s top scorers in the qualifiers, is struggling for form, and Adeyemi’s interest in playing at the U21 European Championship is not great. So Germany shouldn’t exactly be the top team at the championship, although they will probably have a lot of fans in their back pocket.

Italy-France tandem will not be missing at the U21 European Championships either. The national team from the Apennine Peninsula can rely on a great defensive team, but the tournament is usually won by the offense. Italy drew four times during the qualification, which is not a small number, just as the team is experiencing a decline in the senior category. France, on the other hand, has been one of the biggest favourites in recent years, but now has a slightly weaker team. There are some extremely interesting names on the roster, but the team does not work as a team, which is always a problem. France plays too individualistic, which was reflected in the qualification, where they lost.

What to bet on:

Anything can happen leading up to the championship, but one thing is for sure, Spain will play their style as always across all categories. There will be great individuality in the squad, overall the team is very good in all aspects. The balance of the different formations will take the favourite to at least the final.

Confidence:

6/10

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