INTERNATIONAL BETTING PREVIEW - PORTUGAL U21 VS FRANCE U21

International

2025-06-11 - Portugal U21 vs France U21

A Sports Betting Preview by Auls

Portugal U21 v France U21
Football: UEFA Under 21 European Championship Group C
Wednesday 11th June 2025 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

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Preview

Group C is expected to finish with some order of Portugal U21 and France U21 with these two being amongst the favourites to win the tournament, and this is an early opportunity to lay down a marker for the rest of the month.

With Poland U21 and Georgia U21 making up the foursome, both Portugal and France will be expecting to progress, although there is a chance that some tension develops with neither team wanting to fall behind others in the section. That could lead to a fixture where a point actually suits both parties, although containing the huge attacking talents that both squads can call upon is going to be a real challenge for the two defences.

Out of the two teams there is little doubt that Portugal were more impressive in Qualification with 27 points out of a possible 30 secured. Somewhat surprisingly France finished behind Slovenia U21, although they were one of the stronger Runners Up and did not have to come through the Play Offs to earn their spot in the Finals.

In recent years there has been a lot of expectation on the shoulders of the youngsters for both nations- the talent has not been an issue and the continued power shown by the senior teams underline the point, but France have only won this tournament once and reached the Final one other time, while Portugal have been Runners Up three times.

Both had very disappointing 2023 tournaments with Quarter Final exits and so there is pressure on the current crop to have the kind of run that will be expected by those back home.

Portugal have lost their last couple of friendly games and they are going to be without Fabio Silva, the leading scorer in Qualification. They are still a team that offers an attacking threat, but the defensive performances need to improve, especially as France have shown better form in the build up to the Finals in Slovakia.

Much like their opponent, France have been a real threat going forward without being able to contain those that have looked to put them under pressure.

With that in mind, the first meeting at this level of these two nations since 2011 could be one of the more lively fixtures played to open the Under 21 European Championships. An early goal could really open things up, although there is a slight concern that both could sit back a little bit if this game is tied at 1-1 with less than twenty minutes remaining.

Shaking hands with a point each would not be the worst result considering the other two nations placed in the Group, but an open sixty or seventy minutes may just see the attackers impress most.

Prediction

The absence of Fabio Silva may hinder Portugal U21, but they can still play their part in what could be an entertaining opening Group fixture.

France U21 have been scoring a lot of goals in recent friendly games, but they can be a little vulnerable at the back and the best approach to take in this fixture is looking for at least three goals to be shared out.

The Pick :

Portugal U21 1-2 France U21

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Over 2.5 Goals at 1.73 with SportBet.One