After cruising to a commanding victory over Czech Republic during the first round of fixtures, Germany’s bid to finish top of Group C is still nicely on course while Denmark, who lost their opener against other semi-final hopefuls Italy, are already looking down and out after just one game.
At the start of the tournament, Germany were many people’s favourites to go all the way and their performance on Sunday afternoon suggested that they’ve certainly come to Poland to win. Having got the better of their opponents last time out in what was probably third gear at most, it’s very hard to oppose the Germans here.
From a betting point of view, there are two selections that catch the eye and these are: ‘Germany to Win -1 Handicap’ and ‘Germany to Win Half-Time/Full-Time’ at odds of 11/8 and 7/5 respectively.
Doing well at this level obviously comes down to having a talented squad that plays well together but it’s also largely about experience. Fortunately, Germany have the lot. Not only is their squad hugely talented, but it’s also littered with players who’ve already gained full seasons playing in some of Europe’s top divisions. Against Czech Republic, this was evident from the off as players such as Max Meyer, Serge Gnabry and Maxmilian Arnold ran the show. Furthermore, this German side also showed their versatility when it comes to how they set up, looking equally comfortable when making the running in possession and when playing on the counter.
In contrast, Denmark didn’t put up much of a fight against the Italians and slumped to a rather disappointing defeat. In managing just one shot on target, they offered next to nothing going forward while their defence looked far from assured in conceding twice against a side who certainly aren’t the most attack-minded. When you’re on the back foot and in need of a lift, a match against the ultra-confident Germans certainly isn’t what the doctor ordered so Denmark are fancied to struggle here.
What’s more, the Danes have lost three of the last five matches by a two-goal margin or greater, while this young German side has been winning at half-time (before eventually wining the match) in eight of their last ten.
Overall, this test looks no tougher than the one they passed with flying colours last time out and so the Germans are fancied to record another convincing win in their bid to top the group.
More U21 tips can be found here.