The European under-21 Championships got under way with a win for Denmark last night, with Italy and Sweden now vying for victory in their opening game of the competition.
The first fixture of a competitive Group B takes place at the Andruv stadion in Olomouc, with the two nations having contrasting chances to qualify for the semi-final stage over England and Portugal.
The latter face off in Uherske Hradiste later in the evening, with three points proving vital for every team at this early stage of the championships.
Azzurrini looking to replicate previous success
The Italians are looking to reach their second successive final for the first time since 1994, following the defeat to Spain in 2013. This is just a mere slice of the history they hold in the tournament, triumphing a record five times since its inception 37 years ago.
Luigi Di Biagio is looking to return this famous footballing nation to winning ways in the Czech Republic, having not lifted the trophy since a Daniele De Rossi inspired side overcame Serbia and Montenegro in the summer of 2004.
The former Inter Milan and Roma midfielder, tenacious and ultimately consistent during his playing days, saw his reign start with a disappointing defeat to Belgium before a goalless 66 minutes against minnows Cyprus. Luckily for Devis Mangia’s successor, strikes from substitutes Francesco Fedato and Riccardo Improta were enough for their first three points of the qualifying stages.
The 44-year-old then guided his new team through the group impeccably, dropping points to just Serbia and Slovakia in the remaining eight games saw them finish two points clear at the top of Group Nine.
Di Biagio plans for the under-21’s to start a lot quicker than they did in the qualifiers, with huge games against Portugal and England still to come. He told the country's official website that it will be very important to start on the right foot, before stating that he is not afraid of the Swedes as he pointed out their “interesting players” in John Guidetti, Kiese Thelin and Oscar Hiljemark.
How will the Italians line-up?
Francesco Bardi is due to start in goal for the Italians, but the coach is still undecided on who his back four will contain. Davide Zappacosta is expected to start at left-back though, having played in all but one of the qualifying games, while Cristiano Biraghi is likely to retain his place at right-back.
Despite promise being shown by Alessio Romagnoli in recent seasons, Matteo Bianchetti could start alongside Daniele Rugani at the heart of the defense after his manager called him a “key element” in the team. The duo have amassed 27 appearances at this level between them and will be vital to any success the Little Blues have this summer.
Juventus midfielder Stefano Sturaro and Federico Viviani will be aiming to provide the creative spark alongside a slightly more defensive Lorenzo Crisetig in an experimental three man midfield that was implemented in a 7-0 friendly win over Inter Berati earlier this month. Watford’s Cristian Battochio may have to settle for a place on the bench, despite partaking in all 10 qualifiers and playing 22 Serie B games on loan at Virtus Entella.
An exciting front three of Andrea Belotti, Domenico Berardi and Federico Bernardeschi is expected to start up front for the Azzurrini. The former has been the one to watch over the past year, scoring eight goals in 15 under-21 appearances whilst completing a full season at relegated Palermo in Serie A. The trio are likely to edge out former Fulham forward, Marcello Trotta.
Sweden remain the underdogs in an impressive Group B
Sweden go into the game, and the tournament as a whole, as underdogs. Blagult have never won the Euros but have come close on numerous occasions, reaching the semi-finals twice and becoming runners-up in 1992. Discluding the current finals, they have qualified twice for the last eight editions of the European Championships.
This will be their first since they hosted it in 2009 but have arguably improved since then, with Mikael Lustig and Martin Olsson being the standout names six years ago. From a resilient defense to a now outstanding strikeforce, the Swede’s best chances of advancing lie in their attacking prowess.
The aforementioned attack includes the likes of former Manchester City striker John Guidetti and impressive Bordeaux forward Isaac Kiese Thelin. The duo are full Swedish internationals and contributed to nine goals between them during the qualifying rounds. ‘Veteran’ Mikael Ishak will fight for a place in the starting XI, after the 22-year-old scored twice and assisted his team-mates a further two times during the qualifiers.
Behind them lies ex-Arsenal youngster Kristoffer Olsson and captain Oscar Hiljemark, who will both be looking to score and assist some goals themselves, with the pair helping the team find the net on a respectable seven occasions. Abdullah Khalili, Oscar Lewicki and Melker Hallberg are also in contention for a start, in what is expected to be a 4-4-2 formation.
Patrik Carlgren will start in goal with an anticipated pairing of vice-captain Alexander Milosevic and Joseph Baffo protecting him. Pa Konate will start at right-back but, due to Emil Krafth’s injury, Ludwig Augustinsson will get the nod after being the only recognised left-back in the squad.
In terms of team news, Benfica's Victor Nilsson Lindelof replaced Krafth in the squad after the left-back sustained a back injury 20 minutes into a friendly with Denmark days before the start of the tournament. Kiese Thelin received treatment on his heel when with the senior squad alongside Augustinsson, but has returned to full training since arriving with the youth team.
How Blagult got to the finals
Hakan Ericson, manager of the U21 side since 2011, has qualified for his first major competition in dramatic fashion. After a poor start to the qualifying campaign, achieving just four points from a possible 12, they eventually topped their group following a nervy 4-3 victory over rivals Turkey on the final day. This proved part of a four match winning streak, helping them overtake Greece and Poland in a group where first and fourth were separated by four points.
A play-off game with France ended in similar style, losing by two goals in the first-leg before upsetting the odds on home turf as they thrashed a talented French team by four goals to one.
Going three goals up courtesy of a brace from Kiese Thelin in the first-half and a Lewicki goal 19 minutes from time, talented Monaco full-back Layvin Kurzawa seemingly put his side through when his header tied things up on aggregate. Advancing on away goals, Sweden were down and out for a matter of seconds before Lewicki converted a corner in the dying embers of the game. Sweden had qualified, but only just.
The manager knows the odds are against them, but remains positives about his team’s chances ahead of their opening game. He told UEFA.com that: “Everyone thinks we don't have a chance but we have had good results in the last couple of years.
“We have drawn with Denmark and lost to France away but then it's nine victories. We have great expectations for ourselves. We had had good results and think we can succeed again.”
In reference to his side’s play-off defeat against the Italians in 2013, he proclaimed: “We know they're a good team again, but we are also. We have done some homework and, regarding our failures in some situations against Italy, I have tried to prepare the team so they don't repeat them again”
Previous encounters
The nation's most famous fixture at this level came back in 1992, amidst the final of the Euros. A close two-legged final, Italy prevailed thanks to Renato Buso and Gianluca Sordo goals. The most recent meeting game in that play-off two years ago, Italy winning 4-2 on aggregate. Just one Italian and three Swedish players remain from the starting line-up of the first leg in Pescara.
The only meeting in a modern European under-21 Championships came in 2009, when Mario Balotelli helped defeat the hosts 2-1. Both teams advanced from their groups but both faltered at the semi-final stage. Overall, Italy have beaten Sweden eight times and lost just two, scoring 25 times and conceding 13 in 16 encounters.
Sweden definitely have the potential to cause an upset against the Italians, who are firm favourites to beat their European counterparts, and will certainly run them close. As this competition has proven, nobody is in for an easy game.