(Maribor, 18:00 CET)
Holders Spain only conceded once in qualifying and kept three clean sheets in March, leaving them as one of two unbeaten teams across the competition so far, along with Denmark. And they have a reputation to keep up: Spain have never lost a U21 EURO knockout game before the final since the tournament format was introduced in 1998.
Croatia, by contrast, made it past the group stage for the first time when Domagoj Bradarić s spectacular added-time strike against England pulled the score back to 2-1 – meaning they pipped both their opponents and Switzerland on three-way head-to-head goals scored. Bradarić, like Luka Ivanušec and Joško
Under-21 EURO: Portugal and Denmark stay perfect
uefa.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from uefa.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Under-21 EURO: Portugal and Denmark stay perfect
uefa.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from uefa.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Portugal vs Croatia: Under-21 EURO background, form guide, previous meetings Monday 1 February 2021
Article summary
Portugal and Croatia meet in the opening round of Group D games 21 years on from a memorable play-off tie between the teams.
Article top media content
Article body
The opening round of Group D games brings together Portugal and Croatia, who produced a memorable play-off tie in their only previous UEFA European Under-21 Championship matches.
• The fixture at the Stadion Bonifika in Koper features two teams who both experienced group stage elimination on their most recent appearance in the final tournament.
2021 Under-21 EUROs: Meet the teams