While the big boys play football in South Africa the next generation of European champions are competing in the UEFA Under-21 Championship in Sweden.

The final four teams will compete today for the chance to reach the final to be played in Malmö on Monday. Competition favorites England will take on Sweden, while Germany will attempt to knockout five-time champions Italy.

The group stages were fairly timid, in my opinion due to the lack of skill in three of the eight nations competing: Belarus, Serbia, and especially Finland who didn’t manage to take a single point from all three games.

But come kickoff prepare yourself from some exquisite football. England and Italy have taken the most points and look to be the most confident heading into the knockout stages, however Sweden’s Marcus Berg is on fire, sitting atop the leaderboard with five goals to his name, two clear of the rest of the pack.

BetUS has posted odds on both matches, and it’s quite obviously from their picks that they are going to be closely contested games. If we’ve learnt anything from the Confederations Cup, it is that anything is possible. Considering Sweden’s strike force, and hometown advantage, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them slip past England and into the finals. However, England’s squad carries a wealth of experience; 19 of the 23-man squad played in the English Premier League last season, and four of those have been capped for the Senior England team.

Both matches will be a great insight into not only the selections for next year’s World Cup, but also as a guide to who could be bought over the summer transfer season. I’m putting my money on Swede Marcus Berg to make a move to one of the Big Four European leagues before next season.

BetUS odds:

England
Handicap: -½ +110; Moneyline: +110
Draw
Moneyline: +225
Sweden
Handicap: +½ -140; Moneyline: +210

Italy
Handicap: pk -145; Moneyline: +135
Draw
Moneyline: +210
Germany
Handicap: pk +115; Moneyline: +180