England U21 vs. Romania U21 Betting Tips, Prediction & Odds
Round 2 of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Group C starts with a must-win game for England against pleasant surprise Romania.
England U21 vs. Romania U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship
- Stadio Dino Manuzzi, Cesena, Italy
- Friday 21 June
- 17:30 UK Time
England U21 vs. Romania U21 Game Preview
The biggest favourites before the championship were quite unlucky in the opening game with France and now England are desperate for three points against Romania in order to keep their semi-finals hope alive. Romania upset Croatia in their opening match and will pose a big threat to the Young Lion in this one.
England U21 Team News and Latest Form
England suffered a tight 2-1 defeat to France in their opening U21 European Championship game. The Young Lions missed a couple of good opportunities early one while Dean Henderson saved Moussa Dembele’s penalty. Phil Foden’s solo run resulted in a goal for England after the interval but Hamza Choudhury’s rash challenge changed the course of the game.
Houssem Aouar also missed the penalty for France but they managed to score two late goals through Jonathan Ikone and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s unlucky own-goal in dying seconds. England attempted just one shot on target and they need to bounce back here but are without a victory in three matches in 2019, losing two with one draw.
Head coach Aidy Boothroyd might be tempted to make some changes in this one with Tammy Abraham replacing Dominic Solanke up front is a possibility. Morgan Gibbs-White could return to the starting lineup while Choudhury serves his suspension.
England found the back of the net in each of their last eight matches but managed to keep their net intact in only two of those and Romania will definitely get their chance to punish Boothroyd’s leaky defence.
Romania U21 Team News and Latest Form
Romania got off to a flying start at the UEFA U21 European Championship with a 4-1 victory over favoured Croatia. George Puscas and Ianis Hagi scored goals in quick sensation early in the first half and although Nikola Vlasic equalized soon after, it was all from the Young Blazers. The Little Tricolours got to a 3-1 lead through Tudor Baluta in the 66th minute while substitute Adrian Petre set the final score in injury time.
Mirel Radoi’s men shouldn’t be underestimated here as striker George Puscas is playing very well at the moment and recently bagged a brace for the Romania senior team against Malta in the 2020 European Championship qualifiers. Playmaker Ianis Hagi and goalkeeper Andrei Radu are also key members of this side.
Romania suffered only one defeat in the last eight matches and scored at least a goal in eight of the previous nine, and considering England’s unconvincing defence, the Little Tricolours have a good chance to score here as well. On the other hand, their defence is better as they managed to keep a clean sheet in four of their last seven games, thanks to fantastic captain Andrei Radu.
England U21 vs. Romania U21 Head to Head
England have met on four occasions in this decade and they haven’t lost to Romania, recording three victories in the process. They faced a few months ago in a friendly match at Molineux Stadium and England secured a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Demarai Gray and Jake Clarke-Salter while Ionut Costache softened the defeat for Romania.
England U21 vs. Romania U21 Betting Tip
England will have to attack in this game and try to get three points which will leave a lot of space for the Romanians to hit them on a break. That’s exactly what happened to Croatia and it’s crucial for the Young Lions to score the first goal. However, I am far from convinced their defence can keep the net intact and instead of backing England to win at 1/2, perhaps is better to go with both teams to score at 17/20 with William Hill.
