England’s Under 21s will bid to defend their European Championship crown as they face old rivals Germany in a fascinating final.
Lee Carsley’s holders came through a tricky semi-final against the Netherlands as Harvey Elliott of Liverpool (at least for now…) struck twice to book their place in this Bratislava decider. With such talent at his disposal, manager Carsley was able to use Premier League regulars Archie Gray and Ethan Nwaneri off the bench as his side took a step closer to back-to-back continental crowns.
Germany, however, have arguably been the best side in the competition so far and were convincing 3-0 winners in their last-four encounter with France. Three times the winners of this competition previously, giant forward Nick Woltemade has been a standout performer with his blend of size and skill, while there is plenty of experience in midfield. Having already beaten England once in the group stage, the Germans will be full of confidence.
Follow all of the latest from the Euros final with our live blog below:
Germany’s route to the final
Semi-final: 3-0 win over France
Quarter-final: 3-2 win over Italy (AET)
Group stage:
2-1 win over England
4-2 win over Czech Republic
3-0 win over Slovenia
England’s route to the final
Semi-final: 2-1 win over Netherlands
Quarter-final: 3-1 win over Spain
Group stage:
2-1 defeat to Germany
0-0 draw with Slovenia
3-1 win over Czech Republic
Team news – Germany
Germany boss Antonio di Salvo makes three changes from their 3-0 win over France in the semi-finals.
The injured centre-back Max Rosenfelder is replaced by Tim Oermann, while Ansgar Knauff drops to the bench, replaced by Brajan Gruda.
Team news – England
Lee Carsley has opted not to rotate his squad, starting with the same XI as for the semi-final win over the Netherlands – including top scorer Harvey Elliott.
Team news – Germany
Germany XI: Atubolu, Collins, Oermann, Arrey-Mbi, Brown, Gruda, Martel, Reitz, Nebel, Weiper, Woltemade.
Substitutes: Noll, Ernst, Baum, Siebert, Thielmann, Ullrich, Rosenfelder, Knauff, Jander, Rohl, Wanner, Tresoldi.
Team news – England
England XI: Beadle, Livramento, Cresswell, Quansah, Hinshelwood, Elliott, Scott, Anderson, Hutchinson, McAtee, Stansfield.
Substitutes: Simkin, Sharman-Lowe, Edwards, Hackney, Fellows, Rowe, Norton-Cuffy, Gray, Egan-Riley, Iling-Junior, Nwaneri, Morton.
Liam Delap and Adam Wharton left out of England Under-21s squad for Euros
Wondering why some of England’s top young talent haven’t featured in this tournament? Fifa’s expanded Club World Cup is to blame…
Liam Delap has been left out of the England Under-21 squad for this summer’s European Championships with the striker set to be involved in the Club World Cup with new team Chelsea.
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is another notable absentee.
Match-winner Harvey Elliott on his goals that sent England U21s into the final
“A really tough game but to win is incredible. Another final, I know I keep saying but we need to rest, recover and go again because it’s not over yet. Tonight was another amazing experience, in really tough conditions but the lads dug deep.
“I don’t know what I’ve done to my knee [it planted in the ground when attempting a knee slide] but it’s bloody hurting. A silly decision from me. Live in the moment, you do these things. The pitch was ridiculously dry, but that’s the price I have got to pay.
“It has been really tough preparation wise. As I said before, we had many players who had to drop out, Club World Cup and transfers. We want to do it for everyone who can’t be here. It is one last push.”
Harvey Elliott heroics give England U21s another shot at history
One year on from the men’s senior team beating the Netherlands in the Euros semi-final, the Young Lions followed suit, with Elliott’s second-half double earning a 2-1 win in Bratislava.
The 22-year-old, a Premier League champion with Liverpool, scored both goals, first putting his side ahead just after the hour and then firing a superb 86th-minute winner after Noah Ohio had levelled for the Dutch with his first touch.
Predicted line-ups
England: James Beadle; Jarell Quansah, Hayden Hackney, Charlie Cresswell, Valentino Livramento; Omari Hutchinson, Elliot Anderson, Alex Scott, Harvey Elliott; James McAtee, Jay Stansfield.
Germany: Noah Atubolu; Nnamdi Collins, Max Rosenfelder, Bright Arrey‑Mbi, Nathaniel Brown; Eric Martel, Rocco Reitz; Caspar Nebel, Nelson Weiper, Nick Woltemade.