Following Spain’s shock defeat to England on Saturday, the nation’s under-21s get their chance to impress on Monday when they face their Swiss counterparts in Cordoba (Spain 1/4 for the win).
Much like the senior side, ‘La Rojita’ have been pretty much all conquering in the last few years and were impressive winners of the European Under-21 Championships in Denmark last summer.
Their form has continued and they currently sit top of their qualifying group for Euro 2013 in Israel, having recorded an impressive 6-0 victory over Estonia on Thursday.
Head coach Luis Milla has had to bring in a number of new faces since the triumph in the summer, with the likes of Juan Mata and Javi Martinez now considered permanent members of the senior side. This hasn’t halted their progress though.
Like the full side, the under-21 team is built around a core of players from Barcelona and at the heartbeat of this is creative midfielder Thiago Alcantara. Having starred in the aforementioned success in Denmark, Thiago has been superb this season and is now a regular in the Barca line-up, with coach Pep Guardiola often tinkering with his formation just to fit the mercurial youngster in. He will undoubtedly be pivotal in Andalucía and his performance could be the difference between victory and a draw for the Spanish (19/5 for the draw).
Another Spaniard to look out for is Athletic Bilbao forward Iker Muniain who for a long time has been tipped to become one of Europe’s top players. Having resisted the advances of a number of the continent’s big clubs, he finally appears to be fulfilling his potential. Now a regular at club and international level, Muniain’s pace and trickery can unlock any defence so expect him to get on the scoresheet at some point on Monday night.
Despite all this, Switzerland (15/2 to win) themselves are not a side to be discounted and will be looking to cause an upset at the El Arcangel. Much like Spain, Switzerland are currently experiencing somewhat of a ‘Golden Generation’ but have elected to put them straight into the senior side rather than blooding them in the juniors.
They are currently in good form after beating Georgia 5-0 on Thursday. Look out for striker Steven Zuber who bagged a hat-trick in that win. Zuber is a tricky individual and could cause the Spanish rearguard some major problems. With the confidence he gained from the Georgia demolition, he will fancy his chances of making an impact.
However, despite Switzerland’s fine form, Spain on paper look far stronger. Any team with the likes of Thiago and Muniain will fancy their chances against anyone so expect a comfortable victory for the European champions (Spain 10/1 for a 4-0 win).
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