Having begun their bid for continental glory in the worst way possible, Portugal Under-21s meet Netherlands Under-21s in Group A of the Under-21 Euro 2023 Championships on Saturday.

Rui Jorge's charges suffered a chastening 2-0 loss to co-hosts Georgia in their opening affair on Wednesday, while Jong Oranje played out a goalless draw with Belgium.

Match preview

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In what was Georgia's first-ever game at the finals of the Under-21 European Championships, the host nation could ostensibly not have been handed a more difficult assignment against 2021 runners-up Portugal, but a pair of defensive lapses cost Jorge's side dear.

A 37th-minute strike from Giorgi Gagua and header from Saba Sazonov propelled Georgia into the unlikeliest of two-goal leads before the break, and despite the best efforts of the Hopes, their hopes of a comeback were ironically dashed when Tomas Araujo was given his marching orders late on.

Enjoying 69% possession and firing 17 shots on goal, such statistics proved meaningless against a well-drilled Georgian backline, and Portugal are already rooted to the bottom of the section after one game, albeit just one point worse off than their Dutch foes in second place.

Still searching for their first crown at this level after falling to Germany in the 2021 showpiece, Portugal have done themselves no favours early doors, and Jorge may be facing questions over his tactical setup from that opening loss - hindsight is a wonderful thing, though.

That two-goal defeat to Georgia also ended a 15-game scoring streak for Portugal since their 1-0 reverse to Germany in the final of the 2021 edition, and they would do well not to take a leaf out of Belgium's book when it comes to trying to break down the Dutch.

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Having failed to make their dominance count in the first half, the Netherlands would be forced to face wave after wave of Belgium attacks after the break on Wednesday night, but an inspired showing from goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen kept the Young Devils at bay.

With six saves on the day, Verbruggen - who is reportedly on the cusp of a transfer to Brighton & Hove Albion - collected the man of the match award while his side collected a hard-earned point, one which is currently good enough for a second-placed standing in Group A.

However, the Euros are still very much in their embryonic phase, and Erwin van de Looi's men are only ahead of Belgium courtesy of their disciplinary record - the Dutch picked up two yellow cards on the opening day compared to three for the Young Devils.

Discipline in the backline has also been the Netherlands' forte recently, as Wednesday's shut-out marked their fourth clean sheet from their last five matches, and they have incredibly conceded just five goals in 16 games - avoiding defeat in all of them - since losing to Germany in the 2021 semi-finals.

Failing to find the net in three of their last five affairs is a slight cause for concern, though, and the Netherlands have only won one of their last seven games against Portugal at Under-21 level, most recently going down 2-1 during qualifying for Euro 2021.

Team News

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Portugal will be forced into a defensive alteration following Araujo's red card against Georgia and subsequent suspension, so 20-year-old Vitoria defender Andre Amaro should enjoy a promotion to the starting lineup.

Amaro's clubmate Ze Carlos reportedly came off injured in the defeat to Georgia too, so Leonardo Lelo should be on standby if Jorge is forced into a change on the right-hand side of defence too.

With a toothless attack failing to fire on Wednesday evening, recalls for Francisco Conceicao and Henrique Araujo should also be considered, potentially shifting Pedro Neto out to the left flank.

In strikingly similar fashion, the Netherlands could be facing a predicament at right-back after Devyne Rensch's enforced withdrawal on Wednesday, so Milan van Ewijk will be waiting in the wings if necessary.

Brian Brobbey was given the nod to spearhead the attack against Belgium, but having failed to make his presence felt, the Ajax man may face increased competition from Thijs Dallinga and Joshua Zirkzee for a start here.

Portugal Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Biai; Carlos, Amaro, Penetra, Tavares; Neves, Dantas, Almeida; Conceicao, Araujo, Neto

Netherlands Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Rensch, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Hartman; Timber, Gravenberch; Ekkelenkamp, Taylor, Summerville; Brobbey

We say: Portugal Under-21s 1-1 Netherlands Under-21s

With the volume of chances they created on the day, Portugal's failure to make the net bulge against Georgia was surely an anomaly, and Jorge is blessed with options for change in the final third in a bid to get his side back on track.

Rectifying those midweek mistakes against a side as defensively sound as the Netherlands will be no easy task, though, and with a little more ruthlessness in the final third, the Dutch can also break their goalscoring duck to glean another point, albeit one which will not do either manager the world of good.


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