England vs Portugal predictions: Young Lions hoping to extend winning run
- England won all three Group C matches
- The Young Lions are yet to concede at the tournament
- Recommended bet: England to win
England were one of two teams to advance to the European Under-21 Championship quarter-finals with an unblemished record but they might anticipate a tougher challenge when taking on Portugal in Kutaisi.
Lee Carsley's side were 2-0 winners against Czech Republic, Israel and Germany, meaning they finished five points clear at the top of Group C.
Portugal's route through to the final eight was more complicated due to a shock 2-0 loss to Georgia in their opening match.
The Iberians followed up with a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands and needed an 89th minute winning penalty from Tiago Dantas to clinch a vital 2-1 success over Belgium and ensure their advancement to the knockout rounds.
England U-21s vs Portugal U-21s (Sunday, 5pm)
Team news
Carsley has food for thought after a number of fringe players impressed in Wednesday's 2-0 success over Germany.
Cameron Archer and Harvey Elliott took advantage of their first starts of the tournament by scoring against the Germans and either could come into the manager's thinking.
Max Aarons is expected to recover from illness and could fill the left-back slot, while James Garner and Ben Johnson are competing for a berth on the right.
Portugal have reported no fresh injuries and could stick with the side which defeated Belgium 2-1 on Tuesday.
Henrique Araujo came off the bench to win a crucial penalty against the Belgians and may challenge Fabio Silva for an attacking position.
The stats
England have won 10 of their last 11 competitive games and they have kept clean sheets in six of their last eight competitive matches.
Portugal have won 10 of their last 13 competitive fixtures. However, they failed to keep a clean sheet in their three Group A matches.
Prediction
England have been as impressive as any of the teams at the European Under-21 Championship and they can advance to the semi-finals with a victory over Portugal at Ramaz Shengelia Stadium.
The Young Lions have played some fluid, attractive football while retaining a strong defensive base and are the only team to have won all three group stage matches without conceding a goal.
After qualifying for the knockout stages with a game to spare, there was an opportunity for Carsley to utilise fringe players for Wednesday's clash with Germany.
Nine changes were made but England cruised to a 2-0 victory to secure top spot in the section and create the best possible selection headache.
Carsley has the luxury of strength-in-depth in multiple positions and should be able to come up with a winning formula.
Portugal were runners-up at the 2021 European Under-21 Championship where they won their opening five games.
However, they have been far less convincing this summer and looked to be heading for a group stage exit until Tiago Dantas's late penalty secured a tense 2-1 success over Belgium.
Portugal will be hoping to build on their triumph over the Belgians but they have failed to fully convince in all of their three fixtures and are likely to struggle against Carsley's confident side.
