Switzerland U21 vs France U21 prediction: EUROPE: Euro U21 betting tips on match 2023-06-27 18:45.
France took a big step towards the quarter-finals of this year's U21 European Championships by winning 1-0 against Norway on Sunday. With a flawless record after two matchdays (W2), they now require only a draw against Switzerland to clinch top spot in Group D. In spite of that victory over Norway, coach Sylvain Ripoll, who made eight changes from the first game against Italy, still surprisingly lambasted his team post-match by stating they “lacked in every aspect”.
Securing the group’s top spot could be crucial for Les Bleuets, as it would allow them to avoid a potential quarter-final game against five-time winners Spain, who knocked them out at the same stage at the 2019 edition of this tournament. History suggests that they should be able to achieve it without much trouble given the fact they are unbeaten in every Euro U21 closing group stage match they have played since the turn of the century (W3, D1).
Switzerland are still in contention to claim one of the top two spots despite losing 3-2 against Italy last time out. To achieve that, the young Swiss team will simply need to outperform Italy in the other group match, but if the Azzurrini win, then the picture becomes a little cloudy, with a raft of permutations coming into play to decide who advances to the knockouts.
Patrick Rahmen’s men can draw confidence from the fact that replicating the results of two (3-1, 2-1) of their last three H2Hs with France (W2, L1) would see them reach the Euro U21 quarter-finals for only the third time in their history! Rahmen's most pressing task is to improve on some poor recent starts though, after the Swiss conceded three goals in the opening 20 minutes across their first two group games.
Players to watch: After scoring the decisive goal against Italy, Lyon’s revelation Bradley Barcola has now contributed to 17 goals for club and country in 2023 (G8, A9). Aiming to eclipse him will be Young Boys’ Kastriot Imeri, who has been involved in three of Switzerland’s four goals in the competition so far (G2, A1).
Hot streak: The previous four H2Hs have all seen the opening goal scored within 20 minutes.