Defending champions Germany Under-21s begin their quest for back-to-back continental titles when they square off against Israel Under-21s in their Under-21 Euro 2023 opener.

The two nations prepare for battle at Georgia's Ramaz Shengelia Stadium in Group C, where England and the Czech Republic are also vying for places in the knockout rounds.

Match preview

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Talk about a tough act to follow - Germany head coach Antonio Di Salvo prepares for his major tournament debut after the magnificent era of Stefan Kuntz, who led his nation to Under-21 Euros glory in 2017 and 2021, with a runners-up medal in 2019 sandwiched in between.

Barring a bizarre 4-0 home defeat to Poland, Germany's path to the 2023 Euros was a relatively smooth one, as Di Salvo's men won their other nine games in qualifying Group B to seal first place in style, also leaving Hungary, Latvia, San Marino and upcoming foes Israel in their wake.

After originally struggling to make waves in the junior European landscape - only picking up one runners-up medal between 1978 and 2007 - Germany have failed to reach the semi-finals in just one of their last six appearances at the Under-21 continental championships, collecting their first gold medal in the 2009 edition and never looking back.

Di Salvo oversaw a quintet of friendlies in preparation for the defence of their crown, but his side only claimed one triumph in the process - a 4-2 success over Italy - also suffering back-to-back losses to England and France while sharing the spoils with Japan and Romania.

The holders' closest challengers may therefore be licking their lips at the prospect of an upset or two in Romania and Georgia, but Germany's unbeaten run at Under-21 Euros finals now stands at nine games, and Israel's continental feats pale in comparison to the Germans' greatness.

One year after cheering the Under-19s on to the final of their European Championships - which eventually ended in heartbreak to England - Israel have promoted several of those silver medallists to the Under-21 ranks with the intention of laying down another marker on the continent.

There was no stopping the German juggernaut en route to first place in qualifying Group B, but a second-placed ranking for Israel saw them book a two-legged playoff date with the Republic of Ireland, and the Young Chosen Team prevailed 3-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 210 minutes.

Guy Luzon has taken control of the reins again after overseeing one of Israel's previous two appearances at the Under-21 Euros - a group-stage exit in 2013, when they qualified as hosts - and their inauguration in 2007 also ended at the first hurdle.

As was the case with Germany, Israel also failed to string together a positive set of results in their five warm-up friendlies, claiming just one win over Georgia, drawing with Ukraine and Croatia and losing each of their last two to Belgium and Switzerland.

Sticking with the theme of fives, Israel and Germany remarkably played out five draws in their first five meetings at Under-21 level, but the Young Chosen Team have since been subjected to five consecutive defeats in this fixture - losing 3-2 and 1-0 during the qualification process.

Team News

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Germany's ranks have already been thinned by no fewer than four withdrawals ahead of their opening fixture, with Ansgar Knauff, Jordan Beyer, Patrick Osterhage and Jan Thielmann all pulling out of the squad in the past few weeks.

Nevertheless, Di Salvo's attacking line should still strike fear into the hearts of any rearguard, as Borussia Dortmund protege Youssoufa Moukoko seeks to build on his tally of six goals from five appearances for Germany's Under-21s.

Brentford attacker Kevin Schade - who has now joined the Bees permanently from Freiburg - should support his BVB colleague, while Stuttgart's Josha Vagnoman is the only other player with a senior appearance to his name and should be given the nod at right-back.

As mentioned, Israel boast several European Under-19 finalists in their ranks, including Red Bull Salzburg attacker Oscar Gloukh, who was named in the Team of the Tournament with four goals and two assists from last year's competition.

Gloukh could link arms with Dor Turgeman in attack after the Maccabi Tel Aviv striker played a key role for Israel's Under-20s in the recent World Cup, helping his nation win the bronze medal with two goals and an assist.

However, Turgeman missed the third-placed playoff win over South Korea and will naturally need assessing after a taxing tournament in Argentina, while Istanbul Basaksehir midfielder Eden Kartsev should strut his stuff in the engine room.

Germany Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Atubolu; Vagnoman, Bisseck, Dardai, Netz; Stiller, Keitel, Huseinbasic; Schade, Moukoko, Alidou

Israel Under-21s possible starting lineup:
Kaiuf; Jaber, Cohen, Lemkin, Blorian, Morgan; Kartsev, Gandelman, Gloukh; Turgeman, Jorno

We say: Germany Under-21s 2-0 Israel Under-21s

Both of Germany and Israel's battles in qualifying were close-run affairs, and with the Young Chosen Team potentially setting up to frustrate the champions, a similar encounter could be on the cards here.

However, Di Salvo's attacking wonderkids can eventually wear down the Israel backline and kick off Germany's title defence in ideal fashion.


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