Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats and more

Spain U21 will host Ukraine U21 in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final match at the Stadionul Steaua in Bucharest. The fixture will take place on Thursday, July 6, beginning at 00:30 IST.

What can we expect this Thursday night? Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Spain U21 News & Current Form:

Many of the Spanish youth team’s successes in recent decades are due to the name of coach Luis de la Fuente, who was appointed manager of the main team after the World Cup in Qatar. Santi Denia, who has been working in the country’s junior and youth football system since 2010, has taken up the baton from the maestro. Therefore, we can say that a kind of continuity exists not only among the players, but also in the coaching department. 

If you look at the current young generation, almost all players are playing for the main teams of La Liga and other top European championships. Oihan Sancet from Athletic Bilbao (estimated cost €30.00m), Gabri Veiga from Celta de Vigo (€30.00m), Rodri Sanchez and Juan Miranda from Real Betis (€8 and 7m), attackers Rodrigo Riquelme and Sergio Camello from Atletico Madrid (€12 and 10m), not forgetting Sergio Gomez (€13.00m), who has already managed to become the England champion with Manchester City. 

Oihan Sancet in the challenge against Dmytro Kryskiv

The names of those mentioned as well as others, no less talented, will come up in the media space more and more over time, all of them are already getting a lot of playing time at major clubs, contributing directly to the victories. And soon we will see the mastodons of the football market trying to poach these nuggets. In the meantime, in the hope of proving their worth and ambition, the young team have the task of winning the U21 European Championship. The new generation of Red Fury have arrived for nothing but silverware, and they make no secret of it. In the eyes of the statisticians, it’s they who are now favoured to win the tournament, not England (who have a slight advantage in the sense that after the semi-finals, if they win, they won’t have to fly to another country). 

In fact, Spain’s reaching the semi-finals came as no surprise. Let us not forget that the Red Fury are the most decorated team in the history of the youth Euros, and the current tournament is the fifth since 2011 in which the Spaniards reach at least the semi-finals. 

And now, in Group B, Spain first defeated the tournament’s hosts, Romania 3 : 0. In the second round match against the Croatians, there was also a victory, albeit with a minimal advantage of 1 : 0, with Abel Ruiz distinguished himself in the opening minute. For the Portuguese SC Braga centre-forward, the goal marked his 12th in 25 games for the youth national team. It is no wonder that the FC Barcelona academy product has long been of interest to clubs from the top 5 European championships.

In the match for first place in the group La Furia Roja would have been satisfied with a draw against the Ukrainians, which eventually turned out to be 2 : 2. Besides, both coaches have decided to give their core players a rest, which only increased the intensity of the game and the abundance of goalscoring chances.

Finally, in the quarterfinals, the game was to be played against Switzerland. Here, too, Abel Ruiz contributed an assist. However, in that meeting, despite the huge advantage of the Spaniards, the rival held firm, and the victory had to be earned in extra time. They got through to the semi-finals thanks to Juan Miranda’s goal, which was scored in extra time. 

That said, it seemed to many that in the game against the Red Crosses, the team did not play at their full strength and were far from their potential. Now, however, Santi Denia’s charges will work on their mistakes and try to squeeze out the maximum they can. They have all the qualities and potential to do just that. With one more day off than the Ukrainians, the Spaniards will try to crush the overachieving Mydruk and Сo.

Don`t miss out 👉: India defeats Lebanon 2-0 in the final to claim the 2023 Intercontinental Cup

Ukraine U21 News & Current Form: 

If the Iberian Peninsula boys’ success looks like getting A’s by an exemplary pupil, then Ukraine is the guy who genuinely amazes. The Yellow and Blues are on a far more emotional path, having made it to the semi-finals for the second time in their history. The first time was in the times of Oleksandr Aliyev and Artem Milevskyi, and now Ukraine have earned a place in the Olympics in Paris on top. 

After securing two wins (vs Croatia 2 : 0; vs Romania 0 : 1), and a draw (vs Spain 2 : 2) at the group stage, the Ukrainians were to face the most valuable (€399.70m which is 3,573 crores INR) and talented team of the tournament, the French. And there, one must admit, they had a truly heroic and sensational match. For the first 30 minutes it looked like the teams were of two different leagues, something like the English Premier League team against the midtabler from the EFL Championship. And this is no wonder as France have been the most powerful team in the tournament and not only in terms of anthropometric parameters but also in terms of the game they have been able to demonstrate. 

France opened the scoring towards the equator of the first half, but then Ukraine started to show what they can do – play in the style of Valeriy Lobanovskiy, with some quality counterattacking football. Mudryk from FC Chelsea, who was appearing on the pitch for the first time in this tournament, showed what he was capable of. 

He was dispatching brilliant passes and making a big difference all over the pitch. Sudakov and Artem Bondarenko played eminently as well. 

In general, Ukraine showed how cohesively and relentlessly they can defend and how effectively they can counterattack. They had three shots on goal converting all of them into goals. And when the Tri Colours pushed hard to come back into the game the Ukrainians proved just how confident and calm they can be in such hardship situations.

After such a courageous victory, the Ukrainians will certainly have the right attitude and they will not be afraid of such an opponent as Spain. Especially as they have already managed to pit their wits against the Red Fury, it will not be a leap into the unknown. In terms of power, France are stronger and more varied than the Spanish team. They are good with the ball and operate in the best traditions of Spanish teams, but in terms of counterattacking, the effectiveness of the Ukraine now seems more advanced. And the Ukrainians have shown this skill in all tournament games, except for the game with Spain, which was almost a friendly. Yet even that game showed that Ukraine should not underestimate themselves. 

As for the talent and its global recognition – you can be sure that many Ukrainian players will once see themselves on the pages of top European publications. True, so far the majority of footballers are playing for Ukrainian Premier League clubs (Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk). However, in another couple of years, the best clubs will be hammering out fortunes for these nuggets. At the moment they are all on the radar of the scouting departments of numerous clubs. And the sudden €100m winter saga for Mykhaylo Mudryk between Arsenal and Chelsea won’t lie. Anatoliy Trubin, Georgiy Sudakov and others will come out to show the scouts that they are ready for the next step.

Spain U21 form guide: W-W-D-W

Ukraine U21 form guide: W-W-D-W

Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21 Head-To-Head Record: 

The teams had already played in the group round, but it proved to be a semi friendly match as both teams had already secured play-off berths. The match ended in a 2-2 draw that suited both teams.

Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21 Predicted XI:

Spain U21 possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Tenas; V. Gomez, Pacheco, Paredes, Miranda; Blanco, Baena; Rodri, Sancet, S. Gomez; Ruiz.

Ukraine U21 possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Trubin; Sych, Batahov, Talovierov, Vivcharenko; Bondarenko, Brazhko; Kashchuk, Sudakov, Mudryk; Sikan.

Statistical preview of the match Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21:

• Spain’s First XI average age is 22.9 years.
• The total estimated cost of the Spanish squad is around 2,056 crore INR  which is €230.30m.
• Spain’s U-21 national side are five-time European champions, two-time silver medallists and two-time bronze medallists.
• The Spaniards have scored 8 goals during this tournament’s edition, with Sergio Gomez, Juan Miranda and Abel Ruiz each netting twice.
• Ukraine’s First XI average age is 22.1 years.
• The total estimated cost of Ukraine’s squad is around 1,050 crore INR which is €117.45m. 
• This is the third time the Ukraine U21 team have featured in the European Championship playoffs, with their best result coming in 2nd place in 2006.
• Georgy Sudakov is Ukraine’s top scorer in the current championship, hitting his opponents’ goals three times.
• Spain U21 is unbeaten for 14 consecutive games, while Ukraine U21 is undefeated for 6 games straight.
• Spain serve an average of 6 corners per game at the tournament, while Ukraine allow 5.75 corners per 90 mins.
• At the Euros, Spain are averaging 0.75 Yellow Cards per game, while Ukraine are averaging 1. 
• At the same time, the Red Fury’s last 10 matches have seen less than 4.5 bookings overall, the Ukrainians have experienced the same situation on 8 out of their last 10 occasions.

Don`t miss out 👉: 5 Players Newcastle United should sell ahead of the 2023-24 Premier League Season

What has been said before the match:

Santi Denia, Spain’s gaffer:

“I’m happy as all 23 players are available, which is important. We have no suspensions or medical problems and as coach I can choose between all 23 players. The level of this national squad is very good. Whichever 11 we go with, we’re going to have a lot of work but we’re going to have a lot of talent and we’re going to have the chance to reach this final.”

Ruslan Rotan, Ukraine’s gaffer: 

“We aren’t lacking motivation. We do have problems with recuperation, with only two days’ recovery, which is significant, and we’ve also had to travel. The climate here is different – it’s hot here whereas [in Cluj] it was fresh. It’s difficult but we are going step by step, growing along the way. We know it will a very tough game as Spain are a very strong team.”

Spain U21 vs Ukraine U21 Prediction:

Despite being the underdog in this semi-final pairing, Ukraine look the most mature team in the tournament at the moment, and their reinforcements in the form of the current senior national team players have come at the right time. Ruslan Rotan’s men knocked out favourites France in the tournament, and quite legitimately – they created a number of chances and put them to perfect use. Competent second-fiddle play and a 100% commitment in defence is something that could become a problem for La Furia Roja. Moreover, let’s not forget that the sympathy of the 30.000 people in the stands of Stadionul Steaua will be on the side of Ukrainians, both in the face value of their compatriots, and the locals who feel solidarity with their neighbours. That said, the Spaniards only narrowly beat the Swiss in extra time in the previous leg, although they didn’t look much better. We believe that Ukraine U21 have a good perspective to reach the final, 

Don`t miss out 👉: SAFF Cup 2023: All you need to know – Dates, Venues, Teams, and Format

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Handicap Ukraine (+1) – Yes.