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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Chris Wilson

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 prediction: Young Lions heading back to final

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 Betting Tips

  • England to win & both teams to score - 3/1 William Hill
  • Jay Stansfield to score anytime - 15/8 Bet365

England Under-21s take on the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the U21 European Championship on Wednesday night, aiming for back-to-back appearances in the fina; (5pm, Channel 4).

A dramatic 3-1 win for an unfancied England over a talented Spain team means that Lee Carsley’s side are a step closer to retaining the trophy they won in 2023, with the Young Lions now favourites to win the tournament with betting sites.

Next up for England is a meeting with a Netherlands side who won their own quarter-final tie in dramatic fashion, beating Portugal 1-0 despite playing with 10 men for most of the match.

Carsley’s side are odds-on to see off the Dutch with the majority of football betting sites, who believe we’ve seen the team’s true colours against Spain after a stuttering run through the group stages. However, the Netherlands have hardly set the footballing world alight with their performances in Slovakia and could get picked off by the Young Lions.

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 Betting Preview: Champs Too Good For Gritty Dutch

Few expected England to beat Spain in the quarter-finals (despite the obvious talent available to Lee Carsley), but things seemed to click in Trnava and England are now just a game away from consecutive European Championship finals.

The Young Lions are as short as 23/20 to win the tie in normal time, with bookies clearly rating a squad that includes James McAtee, Tino Livramento, Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah.

But England will be wary that many thought the same about Spain ahead of their match, and talent certainly does not guarantee success at this level.

A lot of stock is being put into that Spain result because they had struggled before the quarter-finals, drawing with Slovenia and losing to Germany as they snuck through the group stages.

England’s four-point tally matched that of the Dutch, though. Michael Reiziger‘s side lost to Denmark and drew with Finland before a win over Ukraine to set up the meeting with Portugal, and bettors have arguably seen a bit more from England than the Netherlands over the course of the tournament.

England have scored 14 goals over their last six matches (including warm-up games), with three wins in that time, but the fact that they have conceded 11 also shows that a team as talented as the Netherlands can definitely create chances against them.

And with the Netherlands having scored 11 in their last six while conceding three, it looks unlikely that either side will be able to keep a clean sheet in this one.

The Dutch are missing a few key players through suspension too and like the bookies, it may pay to side with England edging through in a game featuring goals.

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 prediction 1: England to win & both teams to score - 3/1 William Hill

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 Prediction: Blues Hitman Primed to Strike

There was plenty of surprise across the country when Birmingham broke the bank to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham for £15m (a League One record), but the youngster repaid that faith with 19 league goals as Blues romped to the third tier title with 111 points.

And the 22-year-old would have hoped to see more action heading into the European Championship, though he played just 40 minutes across the first two matches and only one half in the defeat to Germany.

However, the former Fulham man started the quarter-final against Spain and put in a commendable performance, adding plenty of energy and great pressing to the England attack.

Though he was unable to find the net last time out – and has so far drawn a blank at the tournament – it is in this type of competition where the goals come from all sorts of sources, as evidenced by England having six different scorers across their seven goals scored.

And at this late stage, Stansfield may well find that this is the time to take centre stage, as Ollie Watkins did in similar circumstances against the same opposition in the semi-finals of Euro 2024.

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 prediction 2: Jay Stansfield to score anytime - 15/8 Bet365

England U21 vs Netherlands U21 Predicted Line-ups

England XI: Beadle; Hinshelwood, Quansah, Cresswell, Livramento; Scott, Anderson; Elliott, McAtee, Hutchinson; Stansfield.

Netherlands XI: Roefs; Kasanwirjo, Van den Berg, Hato, Maatsen; Flamingo, Valente, Meijer; Manhoef, Van Bergen, Poku.

England U21 vs Netherlands Free Bet Offer

NetBet are giving bettors a £5 free bet when they place a wager on England’s semi-final with the Netherlands at the U21 European Championship this evening.

Just put together a bet builder for the game that consists of at least three selections and has minimum odds of 2/1 or greater. Wager £10 or more on the bet builder and in return, NetBet will give punters a £5 free bet to stake on any sport.

New customers to NetBet can also grab £20 in free bets and a casino bonus of 25 free spins when they open an account using the link above before enjoying the England vs Netherlands betting offer.

Responsible gambling

Bettors should always practice responsible gambling. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget.

The same applies whether you’re using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, betting apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

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