European Green Portugal U21 vs France U21: French U21 starlight is dim, missing many core names

U21 European Championship is about to ignite. This is not only a stage for young players to show their talents, but also a frontier for the future football map. Today, the two favorites in Group C - Portugal U21 and France U21 will have a direct dialogue in the first round in Trenchi. These two teams are undoubtedly the most popular teams in Slovakia this summer, but before that, they must pass the test of Georgia and Poland.

【Meeting Preview: Who is the real helm of the Young Guards? 】

Portugal U21 once again embarked on the U21 European Championship under the leadership of the old coach Rui Joje. This coach, who has been in the position of coach for 15 years, has witnessed the rise of countless future superstars. However, despite the talent, the Portuguese U21 has never tasted the title in this event, and its best record is only the runner-up in 1994, 2015 and 2021. In the last game in 2023, they were once again blocked from the quarterfinals by the final champion England, and even lost to host Georgia in the group stage, and their performance was unsatisfactory.

They lost to England again in a friendly match in March this year, losing to Romania a few days ago at Famalicao. But when it comes to the official game, the strength of Portugal's U21 is completely different. They won nine of 10 qualifying matches and easily advanced to the finals circle, and are now considered the biggest favorite to qualify in the group. However, facing the French team, which is currently the most prosperous European youth training system, this will undoubtedly be a severe test.

Gerard Batticel's French U21, although many players who have played in big clubs and have adult national team experience failed to be selected, their team is still star-studded, with many potential stocks in the top league. Baticker replaced Thierry Henry in the mid-qualifiers, but the Gallic Roosters' performance in the qualifiers was unsatisfactory and failed to win the top spot in the group, beating Austria by only one point.

The French team was able to advance directly to the finals and become the second in the three best performing groups, which was somewhat lucky. But if they want to make a breakthrough in this event, they must significantly improve their performance. From 2007 to 2017, France failed to advance to the U21 European Championship finals for six consecutive times, and this embarrassing record was not broken until 2019. Since then, they have entered the finals for three consecutive times, but their best results are limited to the semi-finals, and were eliminated by Ukraine in the quarter-finals in 2023.

Since Laurent Blanco won the best player in the event in 1988 and Eric Cantona was also on the team, France has never won the championship in this event. Although they are one of the favorites to win the championship, considering that many of the best young players are not selected, it seems a bit unconfidence to win the title for them. France won three friendly matches before the finals, beating England, Slovakia and Uzbekistan, with a total of 11 goals, but many of these star players, such as Balkola and Cherki, are now in the adult national team.

【Injuries and lineup: Who is swimming naked? 】

For the Portuguese team, Eduardo Quaresma and Fabio Silva unfortunately withdrew due to injury, and although Rodrigo Mora was selected for the adult national team and won the UEFA Nations League championship with the team, they will also be absent this time. Although Joao Neves, Francisco Concesan, Renato Vega and Thomas Araujo all meet the U23 age requirements, they are already regulars in the adult national team and will not appear in this U21 lineup.

captain Enrique Araujo will tie the Portuguese U21 appearance record set by Manuel Fernandez (30 times), and is expected to enjoy this record exclusively after the end of this event.

For the French team, Castro Lukeba is the only player with adult national team experience, and Balcola and Cherki are not the only young star players who have not been selected. Champions League final hero Desir Duere, as well as Warren Zaire-Emury, Eduardo Camavenga, Hugo Ekitic, Enzo Milot, Marlo Gustou and Lenny Yoro, were all backbone forces, but none of them appeared on the roster.

Gijom Restès will be the No. 1 goalkeeper for France, but he has spent an extremely erratic season in Toulouse and his performance will be a big question mark for France.

【Forecast: collective vs. individual, who can laugh to the end? 】

The Portuguese U21 lineup has more common game experience in comparison, and the French team has been constantly adjusting since the beginning of this European Championship cycle.

Although the Gallic Rooster may be better in terms of personal talent, the U21 European Championship has proved countless times over the years that the tacit understanding and integrity of the team are far more important than personal ability. From the current perspective, when entering this tournament, Portugal appears to be more like a complete and mature team.

We predict: Portugal U21 2-1 France U21