Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
Slovakia and Italy are set to clash in the group stage of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship. The match will take place on Saturday, June 14, at 21:00 Central European Time. Here’s my take on the best bet for this showdown.
Slovakia U21 vs Italy U21: Match preview
Slovakia opened their group campaign against Spain and put up a real fight. Despite trailing 0-2 by the 18th minute, they stormed back early in the second half, scoring twice to level the score. However, they couldn’t hold on for a draw—conceding in the 90th minute and ultimately falling 2-3. Still, Slovakia showed they can go toe-to-toe with one of the tournament favorites. Now, they need to pick up points to keep their playoff hopes alive. At a minimum, they must draw with Italy, hope for an Italian loss to Spain, and score as many goals as possible against Romania. The situation is tricky, but Slovakia have proven they can compete.
Italy faced Romania in their opener. It was a tight, evenly matched contest, and a draw would have been a fair result. However, Italy made their key chance count, while Romania missed a penalty just before halftime. In the second half, Italy shut the door, not allowing their opponents a single dangerous opportunity. The 1-0 win means that another victory over Slovakia will guarantee Italy a spot in the knockout stage.
Match facts and head-to-head
- Slovakia are winless in their last six matches: two draws and four defeats.
- Italy snapped a five-game winless streak with their latest victory.
- Slovakia U21 and Italy U21 have met five times. Italy have two wins, Slovakia have one, and two matches ended in draws.
Probable lineups
- Slovakia U21: Lukáš Belko, Samuel Kopasek, Juraj Jakubko, Adam Obert, David Javorček, Tomáš Rigo, Samuel Nebyla, Tomáš Suslov, Nino Marcelli, David Hollý, Lukáš Zauer
- Italy U21: Wilfried Gnonto, Luca Koleosho, Tommaso Baldanzi, Cher Ndour, Michele Prati, Giovanni Fabbian, Matteo Ruggeri, Lorenzo Piola, Daniele Gillardi, Matteo Zanotti, Sebastiano Desplanches
Prediction
This promises to be a tough contest for both sides. Italy have the stronger squad, and a win will send them through to the playoffs. I’m backing Italy to win at odds of 1.68.
