Finland U21 vs Netherlands U21 prediction: EUROPE: Euro U21 betting tips on match 2025-06-11 19:00.
[p]Finland confirmed their place at the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship when they beat Scandinavian rivals Norway 6-3 on aggregate in the play-offs to end a 16-year wait to reach the finals again. Their tournament debut in 2009 was one to forget, as they lost all three group games while conceding twice each time against England, Germany and Spain.[/p]
[p]Despite the competition now having expanded to 16 teams, they are expected to struggle against the Netherlands, Denmark and Ukraine as they are considered one of the tournament’s underdogs. Although the Little Eagle-Owls have selected nine players who have been capped by the senior side, including Chelsea goalkeeper Lucas Bergström, they are up against it here having lost the last eight H2Hs, failing to even score in each of the last three.[/p]
[p]The Netherlands by contrast are preparing to make their tenth appearance at this tournament and are chasing the title for a third time, having won in both 2006 and 2007, while also reaching the semi-finals twice subsequently (2013 and 2021). Unbeaten since March 2024 – when Norway overcame them 2-1 in a friendly (W8, D2) – the Dutch will have high hopes of getting their campaign underway with a victory against their less decorated opponents.[/p]
[p]That would certainly be a confidence-booster for manager Michael Reiziger, who extended his contract last month and then left out a number of players who were expected to feature this summer when naming his 23-man squad. And like Finland, they will want to avoid repeating their last appearance at this competition, as their 2023 campaign saw them draw all three group matches and fall at the first hurdle. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Fans can expect Finland captain Santeri Väänänen to get stuck in, given that he has picked up yellow cards in three of his last five appearances for the Under-21s, while the Netherlands’ Million Manhoef netted in their recent 3-0 friendly win over the Ivory Coast on Friday, with three of his last five goals for club side Stoke City opening the scoring.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: Finland have scored first in each of their last four games (W2, L2).[/p]
[p][i]Written by John Pennington[/i][/p]