With the tournament set to kick off on Sunday, Goal brings you everything you need to know about the 12 teams battling it out in Italy and San Marino
GettyITALY – Group A
Coach: Luigi Di Biagio
Star Man: Moise Kean
Best Result: Winners (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004)
How They Qualified: Hosts
Fixtures:
Sun, Jun 16:
Italy v Spain 20:00BST – Bologna
Wed, Jun 19:
Italy v Poland 20:00BST – Bologna
Sat, Jun 22:
Belgium v Italy 20:00BST – Reggio Emilia
Prospects: Italy may be the most successful nation in Euro Under-21s history but it is now 15 years since their last title. So, as hosts, the pressure is well and truly on Luigi Di Biagio and his young charges to triumph this summer.
The draw hasn't been kind to the Azzurrini, who will kick off their campaign against four-time champions Spain, the team that eliminated the Italians in the semi-finals in Poland two years ago.
However, Di Biagio has plenty of quality at his disposal, with national team senior coach Roberto Mancini having made Moise Kean, Nicolo Zaniolo, Nicolo Barella and Federico Chiesa – all of whom were in the Azzurri squad for the recent Euro 2020 qualifiers – available for selection, meaning this is one of the strongest Under-21 squads Italy have ever assembled.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emil Audero (Sampdoria), Alex Meret (Napoli), Lorenzo Montipo (Benevento)
Defenders: Claud Adjapong (Sassuolo), Alessandro Bastoni (Parma), Kevin Bonifazi (SPAL), Arturo Calabresi (Bologna), Federico Dimarco (Parma), Gianluca Mancini (Atalanta), Giuseppe Pezzella (Genoa), Filippo Romagna (Cagliari)
Midfielders: Nicolo Barella (Cagliari), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo), Rolando Mandragora (Udinese), Alessandro Murgia (SPAL), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Sandro Tonali (Brescia), Nicolo Zaniolo (Roma)
Forwards: Federico Chiesa (Fiorentina), Patrick Cutrone (Milan), Moise Kean (Juventus), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Federico Bonazzoli (Padova)
AdvertisementGettySPAIN – Group A
Coach: Luis de la Fuente
Star Man: Dani Ceballos
Best Result: Winners (1986, 1998, 2011, 2013)
How They Qualified: Winners of Group 2
Fixtures:
Sun, Jun 16:
Italy v Spain 20:00BST – Bologna
Wed, Jun 19:
Spain v Belgium 17:30BST – Reggio Emilia
Sat, Jun 22:
Spain v Poland 20:00BST – Bologna
Prospects: Spain stormed through their qualification group, winning nine of their 10 matches and scoring 31 goals in the process, with Borja Mayoral (eight) and Rafa Mir (five) netting 13 between them. So, the addition of Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz will make La Rojita's attack one of the most dangerous in the competition.
Spain are not just well stocked up front, though. Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos was player of the tournament in Poland in 2017 and he is back in midfield alongside Barcelona's Iniesta-like Carles Alena and Napoli gem Fabian Ruiz, while Valencia speed demon Carlos Soler is a constant threat out wide.
The defence, meanwhile, will be marshalled by Real Madrid centre-half Jesus Vallejo and he will be joined in the backline by club-mate Sergio Reguilon, who kept Marcelo out of the Blancos starting line-up for long stretches of last season.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Dani Martin (Gijon), Antonio Sivera (Alaves), Unai Simon (Athletic Club)
Defenders: Jesus Vallejo (Real Madrid), Aaron Martin (Mainz), Jorge Mere (Koln), Martin Aguirregabiria (Alaves), Junior Firpo (Betis), Unai Nunez (Athletic Club), Pedro Porro (Girona).
Midfielders: Igor Zubeldia (Real Sociedad), Pablo Fornals (Villarreal), Alfonso Pedraza (Villarreal), Carles Alena (Barcelona), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Fabian Ruiz (Napoli), Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid), Carlos Soler (Valencia), Marc Roca (Espanyol).
Attackers: Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Rafa Mir (Las Palmas), Manu Vallejo (Cadiz), Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid), Borja Mayoral (Levante), Dani Olmo (Zagreb).
GettyPOLAND – Group A
Coach: Czeslaw Michniewicz
Star Man: Dawid Kownacki
Best Result: Quarter-finals (1982, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1994)
How They Qualified: Play-off victory over Portugal after runners-up finish in Group 3
Fixtures:
Sun, Jun 16:
Poland v Belgium 17:30BST – Reggio Emilia
Wed, Jun 19:
Italy v Poland 20:00BST – Bologna
Sat, Jun 22:
Spain v Poland 20:00BST – Bologna
Prospects: Despite the benefit of home advantage, Poland failed to reach the knockout stage at Euro 2017 and a group-stage elimination again looks likely after being placed in the same pool as Italy, Spain and Belgium.
However, the Poles are capable of springing a surprise. Indeed, few pundits gave them any chance of beating Portugal in their qualification play-off and their hopes of progressing appeared all but over after a 1-0 first-leg loss at home.
However, Czeslaw Michniewicz's side then went and stunned the Portuguese by triumphing 3-1 in the return fixture in Chaves, with all of their goals coming in the opening 24 minutes.
Dawid Kownacki was on target that night, with his 11th goal of the qualification campaign overall, and the Sampdoria-owned striker, who represented Poland's senior side at last summer's World Cup, will be key to his country's hopes of upsetting the odds in Italy.
However, it will also be worth keeping an eye on Fiorentina-bound midfielder Szymon Zurkowski and the Arsenal-owned Krystian Bielik, who helped Charlton secure promotion to the Championship last season.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mateusz Lis (Krakow), Kamil Grabara (Aarhus), Tomasz Loska (Zabrze).
Defenders: Krystian Bielik (Charlton), Pawel Bochniewicz (Zabrze), Karol Fila (Gdansk), Robert Gumny (Poznan), Dominik Jonczy (Bielsko-Biala), Kamil Pestka (Glogow), Mateusz Wieteska (Warsaw)
Midfielders: Patryk Dziczek (Gliwice), Filip Jagiello (Lubin), Kamil Jozwiak (Poznan), Konrad Michalak (Gdansk), Jakub Piotrowski (Genk), Przemyslaw Placheta (Bielsko-Biala), Sebastian Szymanski (Warsaw), Mateusz Wdowiak (Krakow), Szymon Zurkowski (Zabrze)
Attackers: Adam Buksa (Szczecin), Dawid Kownacki (Dusseldorf), Karol Swiderski (PAOK), Pawel Tomczyk (Piast Gliwice)
GettyBELGIUM – Group A
Coach: Johan Walem
Star Man: Dodi Lukebakio
Best Result: Semi-finals (2007)
How They Qualified: Winners of Group 6
Fixtures:
Sun, Jun 16:
Poland v Belgium 17:30BST – Reggio Emilia
Wed, Jun 19:
Spain v Belgium 17:30BST – Reggio Emilia
Sat, Jun 22:
Belgium v Italy 20:00BST – Reggio Emilia
Prospects: Belgium's hopes of reaching the semi-finals have been rocked by the unavailability of Landry Dimata, who has been ruled out of the tournament through injury.
The 21-year-old forward, who spent last season on loan to Anderlecht from Wolfsburg, was his nation's top scorer in qualifying, with seven goals, two of which arrived in the 3-0 win in Sweden which not only sealed qualification as winners of Group 6 but also eliminated the 2017 runners-up.
So, in the absence of Dimata, coach Johan Walem will now look to Club Brugge forward Siebe Schrijvers and Watford-owned winger Dodi Lukebakio – who is coming off the back of a great season on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf – to carry his side's goal threat, as Belgium attempt to match the semi-final finish they achieved at their last Under-21 Euros appearance, in 2007.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ortwin De Wolf (Lokeren), Nordin Jackers (Genk), Jens Teunckers (Antwerp)
Defenders: Sebastiaan Bornauw (Anderlecht), Rocky Bushiri (Eupen), Elias Cobbaut (Anderlecht), Dion Cools (Club Brugge), Casper De Norre (Genk), Wout Faes (Oostende), Alexis Saelemaekers (Anderlecht), Jur Schryvers (Beveren)
Midfielders: Samuel Bastien (Standard Liege), Alexis De Sart (Sint-Truidense), Bryan Heynen (Genk), Orel Mangala (Hamburg), Stephane Omeonga (Hibernian), Siebe Schrijvers (Club Brugge), Jordi Vanlerberghe (Oostende), Yari Verschaeren (Anderlecht).
Attackers: Francis Amuzu (Anderlecht), Aaron Leya Iseka (Toulouse), Dodi Lukebakio (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Isaac Mbenza (Huddersfield)