Sports Mole previews Sunday’s European Under-17s Championship clash between Serbia Under-17s and Portugal Under-17s, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Serbia Under-17s and Portugal Under-17s will go head-to-head in Sunday’s European Under-17 Championship semi-final.
Portugal edged out Poland to seal their place in the last four, while Serbia overcame Austria in their quarter-final outing.
Match preview
Serbia faced off with Austria in Wednesday’s quarter-final after successfully negotiating their way through the group phase.
They began the campaign with a 1-0 win over Ukraine, before they beat tournament hosts Cyprus 3-1 to seal their place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare.
After losing to the Czech Republic in their final group match, they ultimately got back on track with a 3-2 win against Austria thanks to a Djordje Rankovic brace and a Mihajlo Cvetkovic effort.
As a result of that success, Serbia are now looking forward to making their second semi-final appearance in three years.
This current group of players now have the chance to lead Serbia into the final for the first time in tournament history.
Like their opponents, Portugal are preparing to appear in their second semi-final in three years after enjoying a successful time in Cyprus.
Portugal edged out Iberian rivals Spain in their tournament opener, before they produced a free-scoring display to beat England 4-1 in their second group game.
Although they lost out to France on matchday three, they still managed to progress to the knockout rounds, bettering last year’s group-stage exit.
They ultimately continued their journey with a narrow 2-1 quarter-final victory against Poland, which came courtesy of goals from Eduardo Felicissimo and Rodrigo Mora.
Portugal will quickly put that win behind them as they turn their focus to Sunday’s contest, where they will attempt to reach the final for the first time since 2016.
Serbia Under-17s European Under-17s Championship form:
Portugal Under-17s European Under-17s Championship form:
Team News
Serbia will be unable to call upon Uros Djordjevic, who is suspended for the semi-final after being sent off against Austria.
Having collected two bookings in the tournament, Stefan Mladenovic is also set to serve a one-match suspension.
Cvetkovic will be looking to continue his impressive run of form after scoring in each of Serbia’s last three matches.
As for Portugal, they will have to assess the fitness of Rafael Mota after he was withdrawn in the closing stages of the first half against Poland
Cardoso Varela dropped out of the starting lineup for Thursday’s quarter-final, but he could return to make his fourth start of the competition.
Mora will continue to offer a goal threat from midfield, having scored four goals to become the tournament’s joint-top scorer.
Serbia Under-17s possible starting lineup:
Jovanovic; Bubanja, Milosavljevic, Simic, Stojanovic; Maksimovic, Kostov, Vasilic; Kostic, Rankovic, Cvetkovic
Portugal Under-17s possible starting lineup:
Ferreira; E Mota, R Silva, Sousa, Cunha; Mora, Felicissimo, Simoes; Quenda, Varela, G Silva
We say: Serbia Under-17s 2-3 Portugal Under-17s
Both teams will be desperate to seal their place in the final, but we think Portugal may have the extra quality required to claim a narrow victory over Serbia in Sunday’s semi-final clash.
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