Slovakia U21 vs Spain U21 prediction: EUROPE: Euro U21 betting tips on match 2025-06-10 16:00.
[p]The curtain-raiser of the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championships sees host nation Slovakia, who have appeared sporadically on this stage, take on joint-record winners, Spain. Only twice before in history have Slovakia qualified for this tournament, with one of those other occasions also seeing them host the event, but given they finished fourth in that 2000 edition, perhaps there’s hope for them here. [/p]
[p]It’s worth noting that back in 2000, this competition was only competed by eight teams, so Slovakia’s run to the third-placed play-off wasn’t quite as eye-catching as it may seem. It was actually the Spanish who beat them 1-0 in that bronze medal match, and although they’ll have the bulk of the crowd on their side here, improving upon a run of seven defeats in nine H2Hs with Spain at U21 level (W1, D1) will be incredibly difficult.[/p]
[p]Spain are seasoned campaigners at this level, appearing at six of the last seven Euro finals, and success has tended to follow them on this stage. Of those six tournament appearances, Spain have lifted the trophy on three occasions, while two of the other three iterations saw them reach the final, so it’s no surprise to see them among the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy in 2025. [/p]
[p]Despite their clear favouritism in this game, Spain’s preparations haven’t been ideal as they were beaten by Ukraine – who are also appearing at this tournament – in a friendly on Friday. That defeat forms part of a wider run of just one win in five internationals for Spain (D2, L2), but given they’re unbeaten in their last eight group games at this tournament (W6, D2), their pre-tournament form shouldn’t serve as a huge deterrent. [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Hellas Verona’s Tomáš Suslov is the main household name in the Slovakian ranks, and although he boasts 40 first-team caps, he’s been drafted in to boost the host nation’s hopes here. All four of his goals for the senior team came in victories. Leeds United’s Mateo Joseph starred in qualifying for Spain, netting five goals in just four games. He made his Spain U21 debut in a 2-0 defeat to Slovakia![/p]
[p]Hot stat: Five of Spain’s last six wins came by a one-goal margin. [/p]
[p][i]Written by Chris Wilson[/i][/p]