Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
In the second round of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship group stage, Belgium will face the Czech Republic on Friday evening. I’m backing a bet on goals in this clash, with an appealing odds value.
Match preview
Belgium’s U17 squad has been in scintillating form lately and justifiably stands among the favorites at Euro U-17 in Albania. Their last defeat came in the qualifiers for this tournament, when the Red Devils fell 3-5 at home to Italy in March 2024.
Since then, Belgium have remained unbeaten in regular time, racking up eight wins in regulation from their last 13 matches. This year, the team beat Ireland at home (1-0), edged Iceland (2-1), and drew away to Poland (2-2). It’s no surprise the Red Devils put up a fight against England in the opening round, earning a 1-1 draw.
The Czech Republic, meanwhile, can’t boast such an impressive streak, but they’ve mostly achieved positive results over the past calendar year. A home draw with Germany (3-3), plus wins over Sweden (3-2) and Switzerland (3-1), highlight the squad’s significant potential.
In the first round, the Czech side faced a powerful Italian team and were essentially steamrolled. By halftime, they were down 0-2 and only managed to get on the scoresheet in the second half. In terms of expected goals (xG), Italy completely outclassed their opponents—2.30 to 0.75.
Probable lineups
- Belgium U17: Muangana L., De Kimpe A., Jonckers B., Gielen V., Darkon L., Da Silva J., De Cat N., De Wannemaeker A., Fernandez N., Mitongo R., Bisivu J.
- Czech Republic U17: Kuchar P., Topic J., Kovar M., Barcot D., Vanek L., Skubala T., Sochurek H., Potrmesil P., Cizek K., Zajac D., Tomek M.
Match facts and head-to-head
- The "Both teams to score" bet has landed in the last three meetings between these sides
- "Over 2.5 goals" has hit in three of the last five matches
- Belgium have beaten the Czech Republic in two of their last five encounters, without losing any
Prediction
Bookmakers understandably give a slight edge to Belgium, who looked more impressive in the first round. Nevertheless, I believe the best value here is backing "Both teams to score" at odds of 1.68.
