Georgia U21 will kickstart their UEFA Euro U-21 Championship campaign when they host Portugal U21 at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena on Wednesday.
The home side are coming into the game off a 2-0 victory over Cyprus in a friendly last week. Georgiy Tsitaishvili and Saba Khvadagiani scored in either half to inspire their nation to victory.
Portugal have not been in action since claiming a routine 3-0 win over Norway in March. Afonso Sousa, Vitinha, and Andre Almeida all found the back of the net for the Iberians in that game.
Georgia booked their spot in the tournament by virtue of their status as hosts. Portugal qualified as Group D winners in the qualifiers, having garnered 28 points from 10 games.
Both sides have been paired in Group A alongside Netherlands and Belgium.
Georgia U21 vs Portugal U21 Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Both sides clashed in a friendly in September 2022 when Portugal claimed a 4-1 win.
- Four of Georgia's last five games have produced less than three goals.
- Nine of Portugal's last 11 games have produced three goals or more.
- Portugal have scored at least two goals in eight of their last nine games.
- Portugal have lost just one of their last 15 games since losing the final of the 2021 U-21 Championship to Germany. They have won 13 games in this sequence.
Georgia U21 vs Portugal U21 Prediction
Portugal come into this tournament in fine form and will be aiming to go one further than their runners-up finish two years ago. The Esperanças are yet to triumph at this level, having finished as beaten finalists on three occasions in the past.
Georgia, for their part, are one of the lower-ranked sides in the tournament and are heavy outsiders to even progress through the group stage. However, they are unbeaten in three preparatory friendlies this year and will also have home advantage behind them.
Portugal will be looking to kick start their tournament on a positive note by claiming maximum points here to put themselves in good stead to finish as group winners. We are backing Portugal to claim a comfortable win with goals at both ends.
Prediction: Georgia U21 1-3 Portugal U21
Georgia U21 vs Portugal U21 Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Portugal to win
Tip 2 - Both teams to score
Tip 3 - Over 2.5 goals
Tip 4 - Portugal to score over 1.5 goals