Israel U21 vs Czech Republic U21 prediction: EUROPE: Euro U21 betting tips on match 2023-06-27 16:00.
With England’s spot atop of Group C already confirmed, the three remaining sides all battle it out in this UEFA U21 European group stage finale for the one remaining knockout stage place. Israel and the Czech Republic both harbour hopes of snatching the runners up spot, but nothing other than a victory will do for Israel, who will need a win and a favourable result in Group C’s other game if they’re to advance.
Given they’re winless in six (D3, L3), the chances of Israel doing the unthinkable appear slim, but that’s not to say they won’t give it a good go as they seek to bypass the Euro U21 group stage for the first time ever. They came close to doing so on their last Euro U21 appearance back in 2013, but even a victory to close out their group stage campaign back then wasn’t enough to advance, a historical omen they will hope doesn’t repeat itself here.
For the Czech Republic, the equation is much simpler as they know simply avoiding defeat will be enough to wrap up second place irrespective of what result Germany pull off against England. A 2-1 victory over the Germans in their last outing hands the Czech Republic the all important H2H advantage as they look to bypass the group stages of an U21 Euros for the first time since 2011.
Despite sitting in pole position to claim second spot, that doesn’t mean the Czechs will have it all their own way, as three defeats from their last six outings (W1, D2), suggests they do harbour some vulnerabilities. Couple that with the fact the Czech Republic have lost their closing group game on their last two Euro U21 appearances, and it only serves to affirm that they can’t yet sit comfortably in second place.
Players to watch: Israel’s Dor Turgeman is their only scorer of the group stage so far, with both his career goals for Israel's U21 side serving as game openers. Martin VitĂk was the Czech Republic’s hero against Germany, with the Sparta Prague defender choosing the opportune moment to net his first goal of 2023.
Hot stat: Referee Duje Strukan dished out eight yellow cards in his last officiated game at this tournament.