France Under-21s and Italy Under-21s begin their quest to win the European Championship with a highly-anticipated showdown at the Cluj Arena on Thursday.

With both nations suffering surprise quarter-final exits in the 2021 edition, there is a determination to enjoy an improved campaign this time around.

Match preview

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For all of the talent that regularly comes through the French footballing production line, it is bizarre that this nation have not won the Under-21 Euros since 1988 and recently failed to qualify for six tournaments in succession.

Since 2019, though, Les Bleuets have recorded semi-final and quarter-final finishes, and they will expect to improve on that in Romania and Georgia.

France came through their qualifying campaign with eight wins and two draws from 10 matches, only conceding five times while scoring an impressive 31 strikes.

Sylvain Ripoll can be encouraged by that return, yet France have not recorded a notable victory at this level since edging out Germany back in September.

Although they held Spain to a goalless draw in March, that performance followed a 4-0 reverse in England, highlighting that there may be vulnerability within this group.

As far as Italy are concerned, they join France in not winning this competition in recent memory, the last time occurring in 2004, but they have featured in the most recent five editions.

While they were runners-up in 2013, Gli Azzurrini have combined two group-stage exits with a quarter-final and semi-final appearance, and Paolo Nicolato is tasked with restoring their former glories over the coming weeks.

After coming through qualifying with seven wins and three draws, Italy can be contenders, particularly on the back of just reaching the Under-20 World Cup final.

Italy had put together a three-match winless streak before they prevailed against Serbia and Ukraine in the friendly internationals which took place in March.

Team News

Ripoll has a range of options to select from, making it plausible that the likes of Maxence Caqueret and Michael Olise could find themselves on the France substitutes' bench.

Much will depend on whether Ripoll wants to include a creative player to link up with the front three, with Rayan Cherki potentially getting the nod over Amine Adli.

With Benoit Badiashile absent through injury, Loic Bade could start in central defence on the back of helping Sevilla win the Europa League.

Meanwhile, Nicolato must decide whether to include Giorgio Scalvini and Wilfried Gnonto in his Italy XI after their recent experiences in the senior setup.

However, it is possible that the pair may have to settle for a spot among the replacements, particularly the latter due to Nicolato's 3-5-2 formation.

Goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi is in line to return between the sticks having missed the win over Ukraine at the end of March.

France Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Meslier; Kalulu, Lukeba, Bade, Larouci; Caqueret, Kone, Thuram; Cherki, Kalimuendo, Gouiri

Italy Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Pirola, Lovato, Okoli; Bellanova, Bove, Tonali, Ricci, Udogie; Cancellieri, Colombo

We say: France Under-21s 1-1 Italy Under-21s

Neither team suffered a single defeat during qualifying, highlighting the standard of their current Under-21 crops. Aware that they are clear favourites to prevail in their remaining group fixtures, avoiding defeat may become a priority during the latter stages, and we would not be surprised to see a low-scoring draw play out.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Darren Plant

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