France U21 and Italy U21 will meet at Cluj Arena in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship on Thursday night. In an intriguing contest between two of the continent´s traditionally strongest nations, an entertaining game seems likely, with both nations proving tough to beat at this level. Note that besides the trophy, this tournament will serve as the European qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics. France qualify automatically as the Olympic hosts and will focus essentially on this competition. With both nations suffering surprise quarter-final exits in the 2021 edition, there is a determination to enjoy an improved campaign this time around. France came through their qualifying campaign with eight wins and two draws from 10 matches, only conceding five times while scoring an impressive 31 strikes. Meanwhile Italy came through qualifying phase with seven wins and three draws. Italy can be contenders in this tournament, particularly on the back of just reaching the Under-20 World Cup final. I am expecting a win or a draw for Italy tonight for the following reasons:

Firstly. Italy and Spain are the most successful teams in the European Under-21 Championship, with five titles apiece. Italy remain one of the toughest teams at this level, but their pre-tournament campaign was below expectation. They lost three of five friendlies, winning twice. But we do not have to take a lot from those friendlies as they were mainly for testing out which players to pick for the tournament. The two friendly victories were most recent. Italy come into this opening fixture having performed well at this level in recent years. Losing just two of their last 16 international games, the Italians scored back-to-back victories against Serbia and Ukraine in their preparations for this competition.

Secondly. Since 2019, the French team have recorded semi-final and quarter-final finishes, and they will expect to improve on that in Romania and Georgia. However, they have not recorded a notable victory at this level since edging out Germany back in September. Although they held Spain to a goalless draw in March, that performance followed a 4-0 loss in England, highlighting that there may be vulnerability within this group. Les Bleuets used the Maurice Revello Tournament, held in France from June 5 to 18, 2023, to prepare for the Championship. They were however knocked out in the semifinals by Mexico.

Neither team suffered a single defeat during qualifying, highlighting the standard of their current Under-21 crops. Aware that they are clear favorites to advance from their group, both teams may be more cautious in their approach, and this may lead to a draw game. But, the Italians can still get a win from the game due to their superior experience in the competition. So, I expect a win or a draw for Italy.

法国U21和意大利U21将在周四晚上的欧洲U21锦标赛上在克鲁日竞技场相遇。在这两个非洲大陆传统最强的国家之间的一场有趣的比赛中，一场有趣的比赛似乎是可能的，两个国家都证明了在这个级别上很难被击败。请注意，除了奖杯，这项赛事还将作为2024年夏季奥运会的欧洲预选赛。法国自动获得了奥运会主办权，并将主要精力放在这场比赛上。由于两国都在2021年的1 / 4决赛中意外出局，这一次他们决心享受一个更好的运动。法国队在预选赛中10场比赛取得8胜2平的成绩，只丢了5球，打进了令人印象深刻的31球。与此同时，意大利以7胜3平的成绩通过了预选赛。意大利可以成为本届世界杯的有力竞争者，特别是在刚刚进入u20世界杯决赛的背景下。我预计意大利今晚会赢或平局，原因如下:

首先。意大利和西班牙是欧洲u21锦标赛中最成功的球队，各自获得了5个冠军。意大利仍然是这个级别中最难对付的球队之一，但他们赛前的表现低于预期。他们在五场友谊赛中输了三场，赢了两场。但是我们不需要从这些友谊赛中吸取太多，因为它们主要是为了测试哪些球员可以入选锦标赛。这两场友谊赛的胜利是最近的。意大利近年来在这一级别的比赛中表现出色。在过去的16场国际比赛中，意大利队只输掉了两场比赛，他们在为这次比赛做准备的过程中接连战胜了塞尔维亚和乌克兰。

其次。自2019年以来，法国队已经打进了半决赛和四分之一决赛，他们希望在罗马尼亚和格鲁吉亚的比赛中取得更好的成绩。然而，自从9月份击败德国队以来，他们还没有在这个级别上取得过显著的胜利。尽管他们在3月份的比赛中0 - 4战平了西班牙，但在那场比赛中，他们0 - 4负于英格兰，这凸显了这个小组可能存在的弱点。蓝衣军团利用2023年6月5日至18日在法国举行的莫里斯·雷维洛锦标赛来准备锦标赛。然而，他们在半决赛中被墨西哥淘汰。

这两支球队在预选赛中都没有一场失利，这凸显了他们目前u21梯队的水平。意识到自己是小组出线的大热门，两支球队可能会在战术上更加谨慎，这可能会导致一场平局。但是，意大利人仍然可以从比赛中获得胜利，因为他们在比赛中的经验更丰富。所以，我预计意大利会赢或平局。