We’re looking forward to the 2019 European Under-21 Championship, with England heading the betting on the bet365 outright market. The Young Lions are currently trading at 4/1 and it’s clear that Aidy Boothroyd’s team have a strong chance of succeeding in Italy.
Boothroyd has several players in the squad who have performed impressively in England domestically this season, with Leicester quartet Harvey Barnes, James Maddison, Hamza Choudhury and Demarai Gray sure to play a prominent role.
England can also boast the lively Tammy Abraham in attack, with Manchester City’s Phil Foden an exciting presence in the squad and there is also plenty to like about Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Fikayo Tomori in defence.
Who are England’s Main Challengers?
Spain are trading at 9/2 with bet365 and La Rojita have several exciting talents including captain Jesus Vallejo and defender Sergio Reguilon, both of whom are part of the Real Madrid senior squad.
Indeed, most of the squad are at Spanish La Liga clubs and that includes Levante’s Borja Mayoral who has scored fourteen goals in twenty-six appearances for the Under-21 team.
Spain lost in the final two years ago when Germany triumphed and bet365 also go 9/2 that the holders retain their crown, with Stefan Kuntz confident of steering his young charges to victory.
France are trading at a slightly bigger 5/1, although the bookmakers regard this tournament as wide open and hosts Italy could have a big run in this competition, with the Azzurri trading at 7/1.
How Does 2019 Euro U21 Format Work?
There are twelve teams who will compete in the Under-21 European Championship, with the nations split into three groups of four. Only the winners of each section are guaranteed to go through to the semi-final stage, while the best-performing second place team will also go through.
Italy and Spain are expected to battle it out for top spot in Group A, with Belgium and Poland hoping to upset the applecart and those two teams meet in their first game which means at least one of them will get a point on the board.
Group B features holders Germany, with Denmark, Serbia and Austria also hoping to not just make up the numbers. The Austrians are the rank outsiders although the bookies differ with their view of the Danes, with some firms going as short as 10/1 and some going as big as 20/1.
Group C features tournament favourites England, although they face some stiff competition in the form of France, Romania and Croatia. Indeed, the clash between England and France on 18 June could essentially determine which side are in the box seat to go through.
The Euro Under-21 semi-finals then both take place on 27 June, with the final then taking place in Udine on 30 June before the champions are crowned.