England U21 v Portugal U21: Berahino will be missed

Gareth Southgate has led England U21 to another tournament

Nick Harris expects goals to be scarce in Saido Berahino's absence when England U21 host Portugal U21...

England U21 v Portugal U21
Thursday, 19:45
Live on BT Sport 1

Match Odds: England U21 2.3211/8, Portugal U21 3.55n/a, The Draw 3.052/1

After securing their berth at next summer's European U21 Championship in the last international break via a tense play-off win over Croatia, England U21 begin their preparation for the tournament with a brace of tough friendlies over the next week.

First up is Portugal, who also qualified for the tournament in Czech Republic via a perfectly ridiculous 7-4 aggregate win over the Netherlands in the play-offs. That result meant that they reached the European U21 Championship for the first time since 2007, a stark contrast to regulars England, who are heading for their fifth competition in a row.

However, that should not mean the visitors are underestimated, as they've already gotten the better of Gareth Southgate's side this year, beating them 1-0 in the third-place play-off of the Toulon Tournament in June.

The hosts will also find life all the harder for the absence of Saido Berahino, promoted to the full England squad after his fantastic recent exploits for West Brom. The Baggies striker has scored seven times in the Premier League this season, and was key to the U21s' successful qualification campaign, finishing as the top scorer in the process with ten goals in ten appearances.

Harry Kane, who has notched nine times for Spurs in all competitions this term, will still provide a threat, but the absence of Berahino makes a goalfest unlikely, even before you consider the two sides' head-to-head record.

The pair have never breached the 2.5 goal mark in five past meetings, with the last three games settled by a single strike. Both teams also boasted a stern defensive record throughout the group stage of the Euro 2015 qualification process. The Young Lions conceded just two in ten games, and recorded clean sheets in all five home games, while Portugal shelled just six goals themselves.

Southgate and his counterpart Rui Jorge will not have many opportunities to experiment before next summer's competition, and both will be keen to avoid defeat to a rival for the European U21 Championship crown.

As a result, I'm putting it all on under 2.5 goals at 2.01/1. For those punters who fancy something a little longer, both teams to score can be opposed at 2.226/5, a fine price for a wager that would have landed in each of their past four meetings.

Best Bet: Back Under 2.5 goals @ 2.01/1
Other Recommended Bet: Back Both Teams To Score? No @ 2.226/5