France U21 - Italy U21 predictions and free betting tips [22/06/2023]

On Thursday, June 22, as part of the 1st round of the group stage of the European Championship for players under 21, the French team will face the Italian national team. Both teams sensationally got knocked out in the quarterfinals two years ago, so they now hope to achieve more.

Predicted line-ups

France: Meslier; Kalulu, Lukeba, Bade, Larouci; Caqueret, Kone, Thuram; Cherki, Kalimuendo, Gouiri.
Italy: Carnesecchi; Pirola, Lovato, Okoli; Bellanova, Bove, Tonali, Ricci, Udogie; Cancellieri, Colombo.

Stadium

The match will take place in Cluj at the Cluj Arena.

France

In recent years, the French team has not particularly shone in the European Championships among young players under 23, not even reaching the final. After missing consecutive continental championships from 2007 to 2017, Les Bleus made a notable run in 2019, reaching the semifinals, but got knocked out in the quarterfinals in 2021. In the qualifying tournament, Sylvain Ripoll's charges were invincible and easily took 1st place in their group, ahead of Ukraine, Serbia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, and Armenia. However, the recent games of the French youth team have not been convincing: a heavy defeat from England with a score of 4:0 and a draw with Spain 0:0 in March. Last week, Les Tricolores barely managed to overcome Mexico with a score of 1:0. Sylvain Ripoll has once again put his faith in players, some of whom have already shown themselves at the senior level.

Among them are goalkeepers Meslier (Leeds) and Chevalier (Lille), both of whom are the main goalkeepers in their clubs, as well as stellar defenders: Kalulu (Milan), Lukeba (Lyon), Bade (Seville), Nkunku (Saint-Etienne) and Simakan (Leipzig). In the midfield, the French can rely on dependable half-backs like Caqueret (Lyon), Hefren Thuram (Nice), Le Fe (Lorient) Kone (Borussia Monchengladbach), Shotar and Olise (Crystal Palace). Finally, Les Bleus have a handful of attacking talents: Gouiri and Kalimuendo from "Rennes", the very promising Cherki (Lyon), Adli (Bayer Leverkusen), Vahi (Montpellier) and Barcola (Lyon). Initially called-up Merlen (Nantes) got injured, as did Boy (Galatasaray), Truffert (Rennes) and Malo Gusto (Lyon), while Benoit Badiashile (Chelsea), Fofana (Chelsea), Camavinga (Real Madrid), and Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid) did not make the squad.

Italy

Five-time winners of the European Championship among players under 23, the Italians have not lifted the trophy since 2004. However, unlike the French, they have participated in the last five youth continental championships. In 2019 they were knocked out in the first round, and in the previous Euros their journey ended in the quarterfinals. To qualify for the 2023 tournament, the 'Azzurrini' finished 1st in their qualifying group, ahead of Ireland, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Luxembourg, achieving 7 victories and 3 draws. The Southerners gained confidence in March, triumphing over Serbia (0:2) and Ukraine (3:1) in friendly matches.

Many players in the final squad represent Serie A clubs. Among them are goalkeeper Carnesecchi (Cremonese), defenders Bellanova (Inter), Lovato (Salernitana), Okoli (Atalanta), Scalvini (Atalanta), and Udogie (Udinese). In midfield, the 'Nazionale' have at their disposal: Rovella (Monza), Ricchi (Torino), Tonali (Milan), Bove (Roma), and Miretti (Juventus). Finally, forwards Colombo (Lecce), Pellegri (Torino), and Kean (Lazio) will compete for a place in attack. Team coach Nicolato must decide whether to include Giorgio Scalvini and Wilfried Gnonto in the lineup following their recent appearances for the senior team.

Head-to-head meetings

The last time these teams met was in a friendly match in May 2018. No winner was determined then – the match ended in a 1:1 draw.

Match prediction France – Italy

Both teams went undefeated in the qualifying tournament and are the main favourites for the upcoming Euros. Moreover, France and Italy brought strong squads, some players recently played for their senior national teams. Considering how important it is not to give way to the main contender for advancement to the playoffs, I'll risk betting on a draw.

Prediction for the total

Italy scored eight goals and conceded as many in their last five matches, while the French could not score more than 1 goal in four consecutive matches. It's unlikely they will do this against the compactly defending Southerners - I bet on the home team's individual total of less than 1.5.

Prediction for the corners

We should not expect overly open play, given that this is just the first round – teams are only gaining form. I'm betting on total corners less than 9.5.

Prediction for the yellow cards

The game is unlikely to be rich in warnings – I anticipate the total number of yellow cards to be less than 4.5.

Prediction for the score

Most likely, the teams will end the match in a 1:1 draw.