The Georgian national team earned a spot in the U21 European Championship as the host nation and did not participate in the qualification. Ramaz Svanadze’s team prepared for the tournament through friendly matches, the latest of which resulted in victories over Cyprus (2-0) and Latvia (1-0). The Georgian squad features their main star, Georgi Mamardashvili, who serves as the starting goalkeeper for Spanish club Valencia and played a crucial role in helping the team avoid relegation. The team will also be represented by familiar names to Russian football fans, such as Saba Sazonov and Luka Gagnidze from Moscow’s Dynamo. The squad also includes Zuriko Davitashvili, who previously played for Rubin Kazan, Rotor Volgograd, and Tula’s Arsenal, and now represents Bordeaux. Another notable player is Georgi Chakvetadze from Poland’s Lech Poznan, who won the Youth World Championship with the Ukrainian U21 national team a few years ago.
The Portuguese national team was considered the undisputed favorite in their qualification group, which included Iceland, Greece, Belarus, Cyprus, and Liechtenstein. Rui Jorge’s team justified this status by winning nine out of ten matches and finishing as the strongest team in the group with 28 points. The Portuguese squad boasts several prominent names, with Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers standing out as the main star. The team also features a dynamic duo from Marseille, Vitinha and Nuno Tavares. Other notable players called up include Fabio Silva, who is yet to fully showcase his potential, and Francisco Concei??o, both representing PSV Eindhoven and Ajax respectively in the Eredivisie.
