Italy U21 vs Norway U21 prediction: EUROPE: Euro U21 betting tips on match 2023-06-27 18:45.
A nervy second-half nearly proved fatal for Italy, but they held on to secure a vital 3-2 win over Switzerland in Group D of the UEFA European U21 Championship. That leaves the Little Blues in control of their own destiny as they face bottom-placed Norway in their group finale, knowing that just replicating Switzerland's result against France will be enough to progress to the knockouts. With a history of having made it to at least the quarter-finals in four of their last six Euro U21 appearances, the Italians look well placed to secure their safe passage.
Despite seemingly holding all the aces, coach Paolo Nicolato isn't willing to take liberties, insisting his side will "face the last game like a finalā. Defensive improvements could be an immediate target considering their porous backline has conceded nine goals across the last five games (W3, L2).
After a 2-1 loss to Switzerland on matchday one, Norway fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of France on Sunday and that pair of results leaves them on the brink of elimination, as not even a win would guarantee progression. Norway would need a raft of permutations to work in their favour to advance, but coach Leif Gunnar Smerud has promised that his team would go into the game against Italy "knowing they can perform at this levelā having made it to the semi finals on both of their previous Euro U21 finals appearances.
Keeping up their end of the bargain with a victory in their bid for progression could prove challenging as they remain winless across six games (D2, L4), failing to score on four occasions along the way. At least there's small consolation in the historical record, as Norway are unbeaten across the last three meetings with Italy (W1, D2).
Key battle: Italyās Wilfried Gnonto has had an eventful tournament with a yellow card and a goal in this tournament, as he bids to put himself in the shop window ahead of what could be an interesting summer for the much-coveted youngster. Heāll have to get past his Leeds United teammate and ākeeper Kristoffer Klaesson, who was a lucky mascot for Norway in the qualifiers winning five of his last six (L1) such games.
Hot stat: Italy havenāt lost their last group stage match of a Euro U21 campaign since 2006 (W6, D1) winning the last four in a row.