The UEFA European Under-21 Championship begins today, with a lot of talented players competing against each other and drawing attention from clubs across Europe. Players born on or after 1 January 1998 are eligible to participate, while this edition of the tournament has been tweaked slightly due to the ongoing pandemic. It will be played through two international breaks, with the group stage between 24th March and 31st March, while the knockout phase will be played from 31st May till 6th June. 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four for this initial stage, and fans, scouts and talent spotters will have to watch the tournament on TV or online, since all games will be held behind closed doors.
This preview will give you some information about the squad rosters, expectations, key players, ones to watch and so on. This preview will be divided into four different pieces, with one for each group. As with every U-21 tournament, there have been a lot of squad changes and tweaks that have been seen during the qualification phase, while there are also several eligible players who will not be part of the tournament, since they have been called up to their senior national squads. We have accounted for some of these changes in our squad depth visuals, where some players may not be in their natural positions, but rather in the positions where they have been used during the qualification phase, and where they are more likely to be played in the upcoming matches.
To read about other groups click on the links
Slovenia
Key players: Timi Max Elšnik, Žan Celar and Žan Zaletel
Ones to watch: Aljoša Matko and Tamar Svetlin
Most valuable player: Dejan Petrović €900,000
Slovenia did not play the qualification phase for this tournament, since they are the hosts, which has raised a lot of questions around their capabilities in being able to match the other teams in their group. Slovenian legend Milenko Ačimovič was appointed as head coach for the U-21 side, but the lack of fixtures has meant that he is still not sure if they will start with a four or three-man defence, among other tactical and personnel decisions. There has already been some controversy in this regard with the decision to not call up Jan Mlakar, the 22-year-old striker who is on loan at Maribor from Brighton and Hove Albion. However, Ačimovič has stated that he went for Dario Kolobarić instead, since Mlakar has not been able to return to form following a positive test for COVID-19. Igor Vekič, who is the starting goalkeeper for NK Bravo, is expected to start between the posts here as well. It is also interesting to note that they have young talented backups in Martin Turk (17) and Žan Luk Leban (18) who are at Parma and Everton respectively. Slovenia has produced some high-quality goalkeepers such as Jan Oblak and Samir Handanovič in recent years, and that trend looks to be continuing.
Žan Zaletel and Sven Karić should start at centre-back, with David Brekalo and Jan Gorenc as options if Ačimovič decides to play with three centre-backs. The left-back should be Aljaž Ploj, but Žan Kolmanič is also a very good player and he has sealed a transfer to MLS side Austin FC this winter as well. The WSG Tirol right-back Žan Rogelj should be the starting option on the right side of the defence, but he can play as a right-winger as well. Timi Max Elšnik will lead the midfield, supported by the likes of Adam Gnezda Čerin, Tomi Horvat, Dejan Petrovič and Tamar Svetlin. Elšnik has developed well since leaving Championship side Derby County, and this will be a good opportunity for him to draw attention abroad once again. Aljoša Matko and Nik Prelec will probably feature on the wings, or one of them will partner Žan Celar in attack if they play in a 3-5-2 formation. Celar and Matko are the players who will be monitored quite closely. Slovenia are not expected to deliver any great results, but this will be a good chance for them to draw more attention to their domestic league.
