Wednesday: Czech Republic v Italy, Germany v Denmark
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Article summary
Stefan Kuntz promises Germany will "come up with the answers" against Denmark on Wednesday while Luigi Di Biagio wants Italy to "dominate" Group C rivals Czech Republic.
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How can I follow the games on UEFA.com?
UEFA.com will have reporters on the ground at both of Wednesday's Group C fixtures, with live analysis, photos, minute-by-minute commentary and reaction in the build-up, during the game and after full time. There will also be extensive coverage on Twitter (@UEFAUnder21) and Facebook (@under21).
Follow here: Czech Republic v Italy (kick-off: 18:00CET)
Follow here: Germany v Denmark (kick-off: 20:45CET)
CZECH REPUBLIC v ITALY
When and where?
Czech Republic have their second outing in Tychy while Italy must make the hour-long trip from their base in Krakow for Wednesday's Group C encounter. Kick-off is 18:00CEST.
Knowledge to impress your friends
Patrizio Stronati was born in Italy to an Italian father and a Czech mother, moving to the Czech Republic aged three.
Matchday one
Germany 2-0 Czech Republic (Meyer 44, Gnabry 50)
The Czechs created openings but could not capitalise and were ultimately undone by two goals in seven minutes either side of the interval. Lukáš Zima saved a late spot kick.
Czech Republic: Zima; Sáček (Chorý 81), Lüftner, Simič, Havel; Souček; Černý (Hašek 72), Trávník, Ševčík (Barák 56), Jankto; Schick.
Denmark 0-2 Italy (Pellegrini 54, Petagna 86)
Lorenzo Pellegrini's superb overhead kick put the Azzurrini on course for an opening Group C win against a tenacious Denmark side, Andrea Petagna making sure of the result late on.
Italy: Donnarumma; Conti, Rugani, Caldara, Barreca; Pellegrini, Gagliardini, Benassi (Grassi 73); Berardi (Chiesa 67), Petagna (Cerri 88), Bernadeschi.
Previous meetings
Played: 5
Czech Republic: W2 D0 L3 F6 A10
Italy: W3 D0 L2 F10 A6
Who said what?
Vítězslav Lavička, Czech Republic coach: "We expect another tough game, similar to the Germany one; they're quality opponents. This morning we showed the players how they play in defence and in attack, and tried to show that Italy have strengths and weaknesses. They are a really high quality team. They have a very solid defence, very aggressive, perhaps more so than Germany, and are very well organised."
Luigi Di Biagio, Italy coach: "What kind of performance do we have to put in? We definitely need to play a bit quicker and try to dominate – like we did against Denmark, actually. The aim is to control the play. When you have players capable of pulling off extraordinary things, like what happened the other night, they can make the difference."
Form guide (including friendlies, most recent first)
Czech Republic: LWWLW
Italy: WLWDL
How did these teams qualify?
Czech Republic: Group 1 winners (P10 W7 D2 L1 F29 A10)
Italy: Group 2 winners (P10 W7 D3 L0 F17 A3)
How can I watch the game?
In Czech Republic: Czech TV
In Italy: RAI
The full list of broadcast partners is available here. Games will also be streamed live on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in some territories.
GERMANY v DENMARK
When and where?
After triumphing in Tychy, Germany get their first taste of the atmosphere in Krakow as they face Denmark on Wednesday, kicking off at 20:45CEST.
Knowledge to impress your friends
The teams met at exactly the same stage two years ago, Germany running out 3-0 winners. Denmark finished group winners, though, and both teams went on to reach the semi-finals.
Matchday one
Germany 2-0 Czech Republic (Meyer 44, Gnabry 50)
Max Meyer and Serge Gnabry struck either side of half-time as the 2009 winners made a strong start in Group C. The scoreline could have been greater, but Davie Selke had a late penalty saved.
Germany: Pollersbeck; Toljan, Stark, Kempf, Gerhardt; Dahoud (Jung 66), Arnold (Haberer 86); Weiser (Philipp 76), Meyer, Gnabry; Selke.
Denmark 0-2 Italy (Pellegrini 54, Petagna 86)
The 2015 semi-finalists made a slow start as five-time champions Italy took the points in Krakow with second-half goals from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Andrea Petagna.
Denmark: Højbjerg; Holst, Banggaard, Maxsø, Rasmussen; Hjulsager, Nørgaard, L Christensen, Børsting (Duelund 79); Andersen (Hansen 80), Ingvartsen (Zohore 72).
Previous meetings
Played: 3
Germany: W2 D0 L1 F7 A2
Denmark: W1 D0 L2 F2 A7
Who said what?
Stefan Kuntz, Germany coach: "The second game is already different: it's more of a positive tension because you know what to expect. We know that [Denmark coach] Niels [Frederiksen] will make it difficult for us. Denmark are a technically good team and work very hard. They're very disciplined in defence and try to play good football; you won't see any long balls from them. They have some quality players and also some pacy ones. I believe my players will come up with the answers."
Niels Frederiksen, Denmark coach: "We have to defend very well. It's always the same when you're up against very strong opponents, you have to defend well. We hope we'll be a bit better creating chances when we have the ball. We know that we need to win. But it's also OK to win the match by scoring a goal in the 90th minute as well as in the first minute. We have to make sure that we still have a result to go for after the first half."
Form guide (including friendlies, most recent first)
Germany: WLWLW
Denmark: LWLLD
How did these teams qualify?
Germany: Group 7 winners (P10 W10 D0 L0 F35 A8)
Denmark: Group 5 winners (P10 W9 D1 L0 F24 A3)
How can I watch the game?
In Germany: ARD, ZDF, Sport1
In Denmark: Discovery
The full list of broadcast partners is available here. Games will also be streamed live on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in some territories.