Romania full of surprises against the Germans
Germany’s next crop of young talent have thrived in Italy so far but can they see off surprise packages Romania in the semi-finals? Read our preview here:
Germany showing England how it’s done
In stark contrast to the fortunes of the senior sides at the recent World Cup in Russia, Germany have been superb at the U21 Euros so far. They have made light work of both Denmark and Serbia which allowed them to take their foot off the gas against Austria.
They have charged through the group unbeaten, scoring an impressive 10 goals while conceding only three. Stefan Kuntz has been able to bring the best out of his young charges in a similar way to which Aidy Boothroyd has been unable to with England.
While the Young Lions have been criticised for being both overrated and overpaid, Germany have shown ruthless professionalism which has allowed them to dominate against the weaker opponents.
FC Augsburg’s Marc Richter is certainly putting his name out there, bagging three goals in the tournament so far while fellow striker, Freiburg’s Luca Waldschmidt, has scored in every game, banking four goals in total.
Kuntz is using a 4-3-3 formation that allows his front players to get on the ball quickly and stifle the opposition while allowing them very little time to settle on the ball - a tactic that could work well against Mirel Radoi's young stars.
Romania showing potential
If there is one nation that has consistently underachieved over the past decade or more it is the Romanians but that appears as though it could be about to change.
They showed great character, determination and skill to blow England away and followed this up by a professional performance against the French in which they failed to allow a single shot on target.
Going forward, George Pucas is extremely impressive and hard to handle while Ianis Hagi is hard to pick up as he supports from just behind the striker. Even when they have had lapses at the back, they can rely on Genoa ‘keeper Andrei Radu to keep them in the game.
This group may have reached their ceiling as far as this tournament goes but they won’t go down without a fight.
Germany v Romania Euro U21 Championships betting tip
Romanian have been ruthless in front of goal when required but face a German side full of talent. There is bound to be goals in this one so backing both teams to score at odds of 14/19 should guarantee a return when these two meet in Bologna on Thursday.
Post bet chat James's Tips:
Both teams continued their excellent scoring records in this six-goal thriller