After ending the group stage in style, England will seek to move a step closer to glory when they meet Portugal in the quarter-final of the European Under-21 Championship on Sunday.
The Young Lions comfortably dispatched of Germany to bring their perfect group campaign to a close and will now butt heads with a Portugal side who finished second in Group A, picking up four points from a possible nine.
Here’s all you need to know about this one.
England U21s vs Portugal U21s H2H Results (Last Five Games)
Current Form (Last Five Games)
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Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
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United Kingdom |
UEFA TV |
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United States |
UEFA TV |
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Canada |
UEFA TV |
Many of England’s fringe players may have forced their way into Lee Carsley’s thinking for this one after their impressive showing against Germany.
As far as fitness issues go, right-back Max Aarons, who has been playing on the left, is back in contention after dealing with an illness.
(4-4-2): Trafford; Garner, Harwood-Bellis, Colwill, Aarons; Madueke, Jones, Gomes, Smith Rowe; Gibbs-White, Gordon
After picking up just one point from their first two games, Portugal shook things up to seal their crucial win over Belgium and, having finally found a winning formula, may not make too many changes.
(4-3-3): Biai; Carlos, Penetra, Amaro, Tavares; Costa, Dantas, Neves; Conceicao, Silva, Neto
England justified their status as one of the pre-tournament favourites during the group stage, sweeping past all three opponents with ease, and there’s no reason for the Young Lions to believe they cannot repeat that feat here.
While England’s qualification for the knockout stages was wrapped up after two games, Portugal had to work incredibly hard to get here and hardly inspired confidence. Despite their positive record against England, Portugal are the underdogs here.
Revenge could be on the cards for England, who should seal their spot in the semi-final with a win here.
Prediction: England U21s 2-0 Portugal U21s
