England U21 vs Portugal U21 prediction, preview & betting tips – 13/11/2026

England's first game after qualifying for the U21 European Championship next summer is a friendly with Portugal at Ashton Gate on Friday night.

The Three Lions finished top of their qualifying group despite some poor results in the previous campaign.

Portugal also finished top of theirs, picking up eight wins, one draw and losing just once in their 10 matches.

Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.

England U21 vs. Portugal U21 key stats

• England are winless in two games (D1, L1).
• Portugal have won their last two matches.
• England have won the previous two head-to-heads.

England U21 vs. Portugal U21 preview: Three Lions to be tamed?

Having won the last two U21 European Championships, it was no surprise to see England qualify for the 2027 edition.

However, they did not have it all their own way in qualifying, having recorded a couple of draws and a defeat alongside their seven wins.

Lee Carsley knows there is work to do, having lost 3-1 to the Republic of Ireland last time out.

Trey Nyoni, Max Dowman and Jovon Makama are all hoping to earn their first caps at this level, and could well be given them against Portugal.

Luis Freire is likely to stick with a similar team that breezed through European qualifying with eight victories alongside just one draw and defeat.

Incredibly, Portugal also kept nine clean sheets in their 10 games, and scored 35 goals – 12 more than England.

They will be hoping to make a statement at the next European Championships, similar to what the senior team did in 2016 by winning it against the odds.

Nonetheless, despite losing the last head-to-head 4-2 in 2025, Portugal will not be fazed by meeting the back-to-back European champions.

England U21 vs. Portugal U21 form guide & betting tips

Whispers predicts: England U21 1-3 Portugal U21

England are 4/5 (1.80) favourites, but given Portugal's stronger European qualifying campaign and form, we are happy to back against the bookies, and you can too using our Betfred bonus code.

Portugal to win at 3/1 (4.00) offers value, while given they scored 58 goals between them in qualifying, BTTS – Yes at 53/100 (1.53) has a good chance of coming through.

We are also backing Over 3.5 goals at 5/4 (2.25), as friendlies tend to give players more licence to express themselves with not much on the line in terms of a result.

Overall, we are predicting a 3-1 Portugal victory, which is available at 28/1 (29.00).

U21 International 24/03/25

England U21

4

Portugal U21

2

European U21 Championship 02/07/23

England U21

1

Portugal U21

0

European U21 Championship 28/03/21

Portugal U21

2

England U21

0