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Portugal U-21 and Italy U-21 will trade tackles on Monday, with a spot in the semifinals of the 2021 UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship on offer.
Portugal secured their spot in the quarterfinals by virtue of their first-place finish in Group D. The Iberians secured maximum points in a group that also contained Croatia, England and Switzerland.
Italy finished second in Group B behind Spain. Gli Azzurrini picked up five points from three games to finish ahead of the Czech Republic and Slovenia.
A place in the semifinal awaits the winner of this fixture where either Spain or Croatia will stand in the way of a potential final appearance.
Italy were once the most dominant side in this tournament with five triumphs but they have not lifted the trophy since 2004. Portugal's best performance at this stage was their runners-up finish in 2015.
Portugal U-21 vs Italy U-21 Head-to-Head
The two sides have an identical record in their last four matches. They each had one victory apiece, while two games ended in a share of the spoils.
Their most recent meeting came in an international friendly in May 2018 when Diogo Jota scored a brace in a 3-2 victory for Portugal.
The Portugal U-21 side have been in rampant form and are currently on a 10-game winning streak. Italy have won five and drawn two of their last seven games.
Portugal U-21 form guide: W-W-W-W-W
Italy U-21 form guide: W-D-D-W-W
Portugal U-21 vs Italy U-21 Team News
Portugal U-21
Coach Rui Jorge called up 23 players for the Euro Under-21 knockout rounds. The squad is headlined by familiar names like Diogo Dalot, Gedson Fernandes, Rafael Leao and Fabio Vieira.
Barcelona starlet Francisco Trincao withdrew from the squad, having been in close contact with Valencia defender Thierry Correia, who tested positive for COVID-19.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
COVID-19: Thierry Correia
Isolation: Francisco Trincao
Italy U-21
Former AC Milan forward Patrick Cutrone headlines the list of 23 players called up by Paolo Nicolato. The 23-year-old is joined by other established Serie A performers like Matteo Lovato, Gabriele Zappa and Giacomo Raspadori.
Seven players were initially included in the preliminary list of 30 but did not make the final 23-man squad.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Portugal U-21 vs Italy U-21 Predicted XI
Portugal U-21 Predicted XI (4-3-3): Diogo Costa (GK); Diogo Leite, Diogo Quiros, Abdu Conte, Diogo Dalot; Florentino Luis, Gedson Fernandes, Vitinho; Tiago Tomas, Rafael Leao, Fabio Vieira
Italy U-21 Predicted XI (4-3-3): Marco Carnesecchi (GK); Enrico Del Prato, Matteo Lovato, Marco Sala, Gabriele Zappa; Nicolo Rovella, Davide Frattesi, Giulio Maggiore; Patrick Cutrone, Gianluca Scamacca, Giacomo Raspadori
Portugal U-21 vs Italy U-21 Prediction
Portugal have been the form team at this level and have more players within their ranks who are established at the highest levels.
Both sides have enough quality players and are likely to go all out for victory, setting this up as one of the most exciting match-ups at this stage. However, we are predicting a narrow victory for Portugal, with goals to be scored at both ends.
Prediction: Portugal U-21 2-1 Italy U-21
