Portugal U21 vs Belgium U21 prediction 27.06.2023

• Competition: EURO U21
• Date: Tuesday, 27th June 2023
• Kickoff: 17:00 UK / 18:00 CEST
• Venue: Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (Tbilisi)

Portugal had a dominant Qualifiers where they finished 1st in the group, with ten more points than the 2nd-placed Iceland U21. Still, to be fair, that group was possibly the weakest one. In EURO U21, Portugal U21 found themselves in problems after losing the opening game against the hosts, Georgia U21. Currently, they are in the last place in the group with just one point from two games, and not even a win is enough to get them to Quarter-Finals. They have to win, and Georgia U21 needs to draw or win against Netherlands U21. That way, Georgia U21, and Portugal U21 would advance. 

Belgium U21 secured an appearance in this EURO U21 by finishing 1st in a very tough group with Denmark U21, Turkey U21, Scotland U21, and Kazakhstan U21. They were truly dominant, with 20 points from eight matches and only two allowed goals. On EURO U21, Belgium won two points from two games and currently sits in 2nd place. With a win in this match, they will reach the Quarter-Finals. In theory, they can also advance with a draw.

Portugal U21 vs Belgium U21 pick: Belgium to (AH 0) win

Portugal did not play at an expected level in the first two games of this tournament, far from it. They lost 2:0 in the first match, but to make things worse, Georigia U21 missed several key players who had to play for the senior national team and still beat them. 

Even though they were truly dominant in the Qualifiers, both offensively and defensively, they really struggled to score on EURO. In the Qualifiers, they averaged 4.1 scored goals per game, and in the first two matches on EURO U21, they scored only once. 

Belgium U21 were not great in the first two games either, but still, we think they showed a bit more than Portugal U21. They had Georgia U21 on the ropes in the last match after the first half but couldn’t hold the lead. 

Since Portugal U21 desperately needs all three points here, they could open too much, and we saw how vulnerable they are against the counterattacks (vs Georgia U21).