Having followed two very different routes to Sunday's final, Portugal Under-19s and Italy Under-19s will battle it out to be crowned winners of the European Under-19 Championship 2023.
Ahead of their meeting at Malta's Ta'Qali National Stadium, Portugal's young guns have swept all before them, while the Azzurrini stumbled through to the semis and required a late winner to beat last-four opponents Spain.
Match preview
After storming through the group phase by winning all three games, scoring nine goals and conceding just twice, Portugal were still able to step up a gear in Thursday's semi-finals.
Following victories over Poland, Italy and Malta, Joaquim Milheiro's side booked their nation's ninth appearance in the final four at this age level, and they carried that momentum into a 5-0 thumping of Norway at Tony Bezzina Stadium.
Sporting striker Rodrigo Ribeiro scored twice as Portugal simply cruised past their Nordic opponents, and the Iberian nation now look forward to a sixth final this weekend.
Having also beaten all of their competitors in the elite round of qualifying - Sweden, Czechia and Croatia - Milheiro and co are aiming to emulate a 2018 team featuring forwards Francisco Trincao and Jota by adding to Portugal's sole success at the Under-19 Euros.
They will surely start favourites in Sunday's final, as their rivals for the title were brutally crushed earlier in the tournament, when the teams' Group A clash ended in a 5-1 win for the Portuguese, who had five different names on the scoresheet.
That result marked a turning point for the Italians, though, as they then recovered their composure to draw 1-1 with Poland and scrape through to the semi-finals, before edging out Spain on Thursday evening.
Following a goalless first half, the contest exploded into life after the break, when the Azzurrini took the lead through Samuele Vignato's 52nd-minute opener. However, La Rojita soon equalised, and did so again after Nicolo Pisilli restored Italy's advantage.
The Italians went in front once again, thanks to a late Luca Lipani header, and the substitute's strike secured a second youth tournament final of the summer for a nation which recently suffered defeat to Uruguay in the Under-20 World Cup decider.
Afterwards, coach Alberto Bollini spoke of his pride at upsetting a Spanish side he labelled "the best in the world" at Under-19 level, and he now leads Italy into a fifth European final in that age category.
While the Azzurrini's last triumph in the tournament came some 20 years ago, Portugal were beaten finalists on that occasion; something Bollini may reflect on in the build-up, rather than dwelling on his team's group-stage capitulation.
Team News
While blessed with attacking riches, Portugal coach Joaquim Milheiro will again turn to a familiar front three in Sunday's showpiece: with six goals across qualifying and this summer's finals, Benfica forward Hugo Felix should join Rodrigo Ribeiro and Manchester City's Carlos Borges up front.
The latter made several Primeira Liga and Champions League appearances for his club last season, as well as scoring six goals in the UEFA Youth League; he is set to start through the centre, with Borges on the left and Felix on the right.
Italy's top scorer in qualifying, Samuele Vignato has added two more this month, and the Monza midfielder will provide an important outlet for a team likely to be under pressure for much of the match.
Cher Ndour missed out on the semi-final win over Spain as he sealed his move from Benfica to Paris Saint-Germain, but the Brescia-born teenager could be involved this weekend, alongside Roma's Giacomo Faticanti, who captains the Azzurrini from central midfield.
After netting the winner on Thursday, Luca Lipani - who also scored and was later sent off in the group game against Portugal - will hope for promotion to the starting lineup.
Portugal Under-19s possible starting lineup:
G. Ribeiro; Esteves, A. Ribeiro, Bras, Marques; Sa, N. Felix, Justo; H. Felix, R. Ribeiro, Borges
Italy Under-19s possible starting lineup:
Mastrantonio; Missori, A. Dellavalle, L. Dellavalle, Regonesi; Pisilli, Faticanti; Kayode, Hasa, Vignato; Esposito
We say: Portugal Under-19s 2-1 Italy Under-19s
Totally irresistible so far this summer - and for several months beforehand - Portugal can continue their imperious form and wrap up a merited Under-19 Euros crown in Malta. Throughout the tournament, Italy have been caught out defensively, so they will be beaten again by their group-stage tormentors.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Portugal Under-19s win with a probability of 62.85%. A draw had a probability of 20.2% and a win for Italy Under-19s had a probability of 16.95%.
The most likely scoreline for a Portugal Under-19s win was 2-0 with a probability of 9.97%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.93%) and 1-0 (9.47%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.43%), while for a Italy Under-19s win it was 1-2 (4.7%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood.
