Freund's former glories inspire Can's Germany

Triumphant in the face of adversity in UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-finals, Germany must now defy the odds once more as they seek to reverse their opening Group B defeat by the Netherlands in Sunday's showpiece.

For captain Emre Can, though, the squad could scarcely be better placed to do just that. Against Denmark in the semis, Germany were missing four suspended key players and Jeremy Toljan had flown out to replace injured playmaker Levent Aycicek, but they nonetheless engineered a clinical 2-0 victory. Germany now renew acquaintances with a Netherlands side which beat them 2-0 on 3 May in Smederevo.

"After every match we sit down with the manager and analyse it," Can told UEFA.com. "We've done that and I am certain that this time we will not leave the pitch as losers. We showed against Denmark that we are one team and we have not 11, but 19 great players in our squad. Everybody fights for his team-mates to be successful and stronger together.

"The team has been working for almost two years to come to this tournament. During the first qualifying round, during many training camps, during the elite round and now in the European Championship we have spent a lot of time together. The team is very open with boys who like to have fun and like to laugh. It's a good atmosphere and that's why it's great to be here."

A pivotal figure in ensuring such harmony is coach Steffen Freund, a EURO '96 winner as a player. An effervescent and encouraging figure both in his team's Novi Sad base and during matches, the former midfielder's influence is clear to see. "Steffen Freund helps us a lot," added Can. "He is a great manager and we can benefit from his great experience. He himself won the European Championship in 1996 and he can tell us what it's like to win a trophy."