Preview: Sunday's Under-21 EURO quarter-finals

The 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship quarter-finals are completed on Sunday in Georgia and Romania. We preview the action.

SUNDAY'S U21 EURO QUARTER-FINALS

Portugal have got the better of England in all three previous finals meetings, including in the 2021 group stage. However, this England team have been putting the disappointments of recent U21 final tournaments behind them with three impressive 2-0 group wins against Czechia, Israel and Germany. With first place secure, they were able to rotate for that last match and still bring in the likes of goalscorers Cameron Archer and Harvey Elliott. Although Elliott will be missing on Sunday for personal reasons, Tommy Doyle could be fit again having returned to training.

Portugal recovered from that opening loss to Georgia by drawing with the Netherlands and then beating Belgium 2-1 with a late Tiago Dantas penalty. Without several key men, including qualifying top scorer Gonçalo Ramos and 2021 Player of the Tournament Fábio Vieira, Portugal have taken time to gel in this competition but seem to be coming into their own at just the right time.

Anthony Gordon, England forward: "“I’ve played against a few of their players in the Premier League. They have some top individuals. Portugal as a nation always seem to do well and produce top players, I’m expecting a really tough game against a really good team."

Rui Jorge, Portugal coach: "I think [England] are a great team with great players. They work well together and are solid at the back and incisive up front. It should be a great match."

France's formidable attacking forces cut loose as they clinched progress thanks to a 4-1 win over Switzerland, with Rayan Cherki, who made his first start of the tournament, particularly inspirational. Though he made a combined 15 changes to his starting line-up across matchdays two and three, expect Sylvain Ripoll to stick closely to the side that clinched top spot in Group D with maximum points.

While France stay put in Cluj-Napoca, Group B runners-up Ukraine head north from Bucharest with optimism. Already through after two games, coach Ruslan Rotan rested a number of first-choice players for the draw with Spain (with both teams already through), notably midfielder Artem Bondarenko. Their unflinching team spirit will ensure a close contest.

Sylvain Ripoll, France coach: "When you take nine points from a group with Italy, Norway and Switzerland, of course it looks good. Now, we're going to rest well, stay humble, and prepare well for our match with Ukraine, a top-quality opponent."

Ruslan Rotan, Ukraine coach: "Congratulations to the team on making it to the quarter-finals. We've earned it and it's proof that we're heading in the right direction. We've been working towards this goal for two years, since we started our path to the finals, constantly striving to enhance our game. The players deserve all the credit for this achievement. I'm incredibly proud of these guys as they put in the effort every single day to play better."

SATURDAY'S U21 EURO QUARTER-FINALS