Friday, at 20:00, France U21 meets Croatia U21 at Serravalle in San Marino, in the second round of the European Youth Championship. There are bands in different states of mind. The French came after a big victory with England (2-1), while the Croats lost without appeal to Romania (1-4) and are forced to win on Friday.
No wonder France is clearly starting to bet on. Sylvain Ripoll’s national team played well in front of England and missed two penalties before returning for a lucky 2-1 victory. The French played in numerical superiority in the second half and went over Dembele’s and Aouar’s races, managing to score through Ikone (’89). Finally, against the background of territorial domination, the Hexagon band hit the Wan-Bissaka autogol (1990 +2).
Croatia was unrecognizable in front of Romania and allowed many dangerous phases in its own right. Mirel Radoi’s “Tricolors” took full advantage and scored four times, forcing the Croatian national to win in the second match. At the last direct duel between the two bands we witnessed a 2-2 draw in a friendly match in 2018. And now they are premised for a spectacular match, especially as the pressure just presses on the Balkans’ shoulders.
Before the final tournament, both national games displayed a promising offensive game, which makes us believe we will not see a boring game on Friday. France has a better batch, with players who have already stated in Ligue 1, and the Croatians will hardly keep up with the rhythm imposed by “cocks.” We are expecting a win of the favorites, so we will risk a handicap bet. The French team is more valuable and showed it can play at a very good intensity, while the Croats leave too many spaces in their own half.
PREDICTION: France U21 to win @ 1,43
