Spanish U21 Team News and Latest Forms
Spain fell to a 3-1 defeat against Italy in the opening match of their U21 European Championship despite scoring the opening goal of the match. Head coach Luis de la Fuente made three changes in a clean clash with Belgium and that paid off when Spain secured a 2-1 victory.
Midfielder Dani Olmo and Mikel Merino were very impressive in the victory and Dinamo Zagreb players even scored in the 6th minute to give Spain an early lead while new West Ham United midfielder Pablo Fornals came off the bench and scored the winner in the 89th minute, cancel out the equalizer when Bornauw is in the process. It would be surprising if De la Fuente did not include a former Villarreal player in the starting line-up against Poland.
Striker Borja Mayoral was under threat after two unimpressive appearances and he could start this match on the bench while Rafa Mir could replace his position in the starting eleven. Spain have only suffered two defeats in the last three years and they have found the back of the goal in each of their previous 17 matches, so expect them to score at least one goal here too.
Poland U21 Team News and Latest Forms
After beating Belgium in their opening match, Czeslaw Michniewicz's side beat Italy with only 40% possession and six shots on goal, four of which were on target. They chose to wait for their chance at the table and sit down and it proved to be a winning strategy. Do not be surprised if the Poles use the same tactics against Spain because they do not have to rush and attack from the start, as is the case with Spaniards.
Arsenal youngster Krystian Bielik moved from midfield to midfield and it was a great move by Michniewicz when Bielik scored the only goal of the match in the 40th minute. He was the fastest to react to the rebound after a free kick and even though Alex Meret was on the ball, the Italian keeper could not help it.
Poland have only lost two of their last 16 matches and they have not suffered a single defeat during qualifying, which was a big achievement for Czeslaw Michniewicz. They failed to find the net in both defeats but scored in 14 of 16 matches and Spain have allowed four goals in this tournament, so Poland will definitely get some opportunities to score in this one.
Spain U21 vs Poland U21 Head to Head
Spain U21 have won all four matches against Poland U21. Spain have scored eight goals in that run and Poland have not been able to score.
The most recent is the U21 qualifying match in 2010 at Groclin Stadium with Spain winning 1-0 with permission from Sergio Canales.
Spain U21 vs Poland U21 Main Statistics
Spain U21 have won 14 of their last 17 matches (all competitions).
Poland U21 are unbeaten in 14 of their last 16 matches (all competitions).
Team News
Spain U21
Pablo Fornals will hope to start on Saturday after coming off the bench to score a winning goal for Spain against Belgium in midweek.
Borja Mayoral has not had the greatest tournament so far and his position ahead must be under threat to Spain having to win a group match.
Fabián Ruiz failed to recover from injury while facing Belgium and is still doubtful here.
Antonio Sivera will hope to keep his place between the sticks after replacing Unai Simón in the last goal.
Poland U21
Poland are in a leading position in Group A after two wins from two. They should not feel a reason to change their arrangements because they are trying to claim the top position.
Krystian Bielik pushed into midfield in Poland's 1-0 win over Italy in midweek and was a Man of the Match match. Arsenal young players must continue there.
Prediction
Spain bounced back from defeat to Italy with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Belgium. They need positive results against group leaders to have the chance to qualify for the next round.
When the groups draw with Italy and Spain together, only a few will give Poland much hope to top Group A. However, they have beaten Belgium and Italy in their first two matches.
Spain has won the last four meetings between the two countries and hasn't conceded in that time. However, the latest of the four matches was played in 2010. Expect a very close match on Saturday.
Prediction:
Spain U21 1 1 Poland U21
