Georgia U21 - Belgium U21 predictions and free betting tips [24/06/2023]

On Saturday, June 24, as part of the 2nd round of the group stage of the European Under-21 Championship, the Georgia national team will meet with the national team of Belgium. The hosts, playing at home, occupy the 1st place in the group, whereas the Tricolors need to take all three points to keep their chances of reaching the playoffs.

Projected Lineups:

Georgia: Mamardashvili; Khvadagiani, Gelashvili, Kalandadze, Sazonov, Tsitaishvili; Mekvabishvili, N. Gagnidze; Moistsrapishvili; Davitashvili, Gagua
Belgium: Vandevoordt; Siquet, Debast, De Winter, De Cuyper; Vranckx, Keita, Matazo; De Ketelaere; Openda, Balikwisha

Stadium:

The match will take place in Tbilisi at the Dinamo Arena.

Georgia:

Georgia, which, along with Romania, is hosting the tournament, has taken advantage of this status and is participating in the final part of the Euro Under-21 for the first time. In the first match, the hosts had to work hard when they met one of the main favorites - Portugal - in the middle of the week. And, despite the clear superiority in class and experience of the opponent, the team pulled off a real feat, winning 2:0. Now, Svanadze's wards occupy the first line in the group, and another success on Saturday will allow the hosts to reach the playoffs at the first attempt. The young "Crusaders" did not prepare very well for the continental championship, losing to Israel (1:2), and then drawing with Ukraine (1:1) in November last year. However, in the last meeting in March, the red and whites were able to regain some confidence, winning a minimal victory over Latvia (0:1).

Unsurprisingly, the Georgian squad consists almost entirely of players unknown to the general public. However, defender Irakli Azarov (Red Star Belgrade), midfielder Georgy Moistrapishvili (Dinamo Tbilisi, 3 goals in 7 matches), and forward Georgy Guliashvili (Sarajevo, 6 goals in 14 matches) make up the backbone of the team. On Wednesday evening, the heroes were central defender Sabo Sazonov of Dynamo Moscow and forward Gagua, who scored goals against Portugal. It is worth noting that the team's captain Anzor Mekvabishvili went onto the field on Wednesday with an injury, and he will need additional examination before the second round. Georgy Mamardashvili will definitely take his place in goal, and Zuriko Davitashvili will strengthen the game by coming off the bench in the second half.

Belgium:

Belgium is not yet among the best European U21 teams. Indeed, the guests have participated in only one tournament since 2007, in 2019, when they failed to advance beyond the group stage. On the other hand, the young "Red Devils" performed well in the qualifiers and took first place in their group, ahead of Denmark, Turkey, Scotland, and Kazakhstan, remaining undefeated. Jackie Matheijssen's wards played two friendly matches before the tournament, achieving satisfactory results against the Czech Republic (0:0) and Japan (3:0 victory). Unfortunately for them, the Belgians couldn't break the course of the match with the Dutch on Wednesday (0:0), with Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen making six saves. Now, the Tricolors will have to double their efforts to keep their chances of reaching the playoffs.

Many of the players called up to the youth team play in the local first division. However, goalkeeper Delange (PSV), defenders Winter (Empoli), Van der Brempt (Red Bull Salzburg) and Al-Dakhil (Burnley), midfielders Matazo (Monaco), Vrancks (Milan), Raskin (Rangers) and Lavia (Southampton), and forward Ramazani (Almeria, 2 goals in 4 appearances) have already managed to showcase their talents abroad. The same can be said about captain De Ketelaere, who plays for Milan. Initially called up to the main squad, Lois Openda, who scored 7 goals in the qualifying tournament, took part in the first match with the Dutch, though he couldn't significantly influence the result.

Head-to-Head:

This will be the first head-to-head meeting between the teams.

Georgia - Belgium match forecast:

Belgium needs a win to have any chance of making the playoffs, while the Georgians pulled off a real feat on Wednesday and will be inspired by the support of their stands. Of course, the guests have a far more skillful squad – however, the "Crusaders" have already proven that they are not "pushovers". I bet on the handicap of the red and whites +1.5.

Total forecast:

In seven of the last eight official matches involving Belgium, at least one team failed to score. Moreover, in the last three matches involving the Tricolors, the second halves were more successful than the first ones. I believe that the game may unfold precisely in the second 45-minute period, so we bet on "the second half is more productive than the first".

Corner forecast:

In the match against the Dutch, Belgium took 11 corners – now, when they have to attack from the first minutes against a defensive opponent, we should expect no fewer corners.

Yellow card forecast:

It's unlikely that the game will be rich in warnings – I predict the total yellow cards less than 4.5.

Score forecast:

Georgia has already performed well in this tournament, but the Belgians are higher in class – I'll bet on the exact score 1:1.