Arsenal pair Fran Merida and Kieran Gibbs will be at the UEFA under-19 Championships in Czech Republic which kick off a week tomorrow and run until July 26th. Read on for an in-depth preview of the tournament as well as the players to look out for.
GROUP A
Germany
Spain
Bulgaria
Hungary
Hungary’s Nemeth will be a threat
Fran’s Spain side are in Group A along with Germany, Bulgaria and Hungary. I would expect Spain and Germany to both make it through, but Bulgaria overcame Havard Nordtveit’s Norway with a 2-0 victory in qualifying, whilst Hungary boast Liverpool striker Kristian Nemeth amongst their ranks. Germany, meanwhile, possess lethal striker Temo Gebhart and midfielder Marcel Risse who is deadly from set-pieces. Now onto Spain. As well as Fran they have reported Arsenal targets Dani Aquino and Ignasi Camacho at their disposal together with Daniel Parejo and Sergio Garcia-the star of this year’s under-17 championships.
FIXTURES
14 July-
Bulgaria v Hungary
Germany v Spain
17 July-
Spain v Hungary
Germany v Bulgaria
20th July-
Hungary v Germany
Spain v Bulgaria
The fact that Germany face Spain in the first-game means that the winner of that match is likely to go on and win the group, so it’s an important fixture.
GROUP B
Czech Republic
England
Greece
Italy
Hosts Czech Republic will be looking to make home advantage count and their main attacking threat comes from forward Tomas Necid. Greece don’t boast many star names but held France to a 2-2 draw in the first qualifying stage of the competition. They are the underdogs, so watch out for them. Italy didn’t concede a single goal in qualifying and helped to knock out Armand Traore’s France side. They play in a similar style to the senior side, with defensive football the aim whilst trying to catch the opposition out on the counter attack. As for England, they boast a wealth of attacking talent with the likes of Freddie Sears, Danny Welbeck, Victor Moses, Daniel Sturridge and Scott Sinclair. They are also well equipped at the back with the likes of James Tomkins and Ryan Bertrand. England are in the toughest of the two groups but I would expect them to top it, with either Italy or the Czech Republic coming second. But, as I said earlier, you can never rule out Greece.
FIXTURES
14 July-
Czech Republic v England
Greece v Italy
17 July-
Czech Republic v Greece
England v Italy
20 July-
Czech Republic v Italy
England v Greece
I would expect both England and Spain to reach the semi-finals and depending on where they finish in their respective groups, they could meet eachother in either the semi-final or final. England have a lot of quality in their ranks but I think Spain will prove to be too strong and will retain their title. Check back for full coverage througout the tournament.
