Spain expected to trounce Germans in battle of the young guns

Published on June 30th, 2017 3:32 am EST
Written By: Cian Murray
Germany vs. Spain - Football match - Illustration - Flags. The experts were right; Spain and Germany do have the two best u21 teams in Europe, but who will be crowned number one after the European Championship final on Friday.

Germany is battle hardened, after taking England out in the semis. That game went to penalties after a dramatic 2-2 draw. The Germans, rather typically for football teams from that country, held their nerve and came out victorious.

However, the young Germans haven't been perfect in this tournament. That draw with England in normal time, coupled with an earlier defeat to Italy implies that they're far from unbeatable. That 1-0 loss to Italy came in the group stage and it was well deserved as Germany were by far the weaker of the sides.

Spain brushed aside that same Italy side in the semi-final. They routed the young Italians 3-1 and made it look like child's play in the process. Thus, our money is going on the young Spaniards, who are priced at 8/11.

This looks like a steal when you consider how impressive pre-tournament favourites, Spain, have been in this tournament. They have hammered Portugal, Macedonia and Italy. The only side that has given them any real test so far was Serbia and they managed to come away from that game with a slender 1-0 victory.

Still, if you think the Germans can upset them on the day, you can back them at a mouth-watering price of 7/2. The Germans group stage showed that they will be no pushovers - they defeated both Denmark and the Czech Republic with ease, however we still think the Spaniards will be a step too far for them.

Maybe they can shut-up shop and claim a draw. This is priced at 5/2. These finals often fail to live up to prior expectation, so some of the smart money will surely be put on a low scoring draw.

However, with players such as Saul Niguez, Dani Ceballos and Marcos Llorente, it is difficult to overlook the Spaniards threat from midfield. Marco Asensio, Sandro Ramirez and skipper Gerard Deulofeu all have experience at the top level and if they're at their best, it could be a very long evening for the Germans.

However, the Germans are not without their own stars. Centre-forward Davie Selke - who found the net against England - would be a handful for any defence and the underdogs will need him to be on top-form for them to have any chance of coming out victors.

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