Carruthers hoping to continue Irish adventure

Ahead of their decisive Group A encounter against Romania in Berceni, Republic of Ireland midfielder Samir Carruthers believes the opportunity to be among the top four teams in Europe offers a huge incentive for his team-mates.

Paul Doolin's side have enjoyed mixed fortunes during the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, winning their opening game against Greece 2-1 but losing the next to the Czech Republic by the same scoreline. Victory against the tournament hosts could secure the Irish a place in the semi-finals but they will be wary of the threat posed by a Romanian side with their own designs on advancing.

"Nobody ever thought we could get this far and doing so has brought the team even closer together," the Aston Villa FC player told UEFA.com. "We have an amazing coach who after our loss on Saturday cheered us up by explaining we'd have been in exactly the same position had we gone down in our first game and beaten the Czechs. We fully deserve to be here and the proof of that lies in our good organisation; we are a hard side to break down and we can counterattack quickly."

Should Ireland, who in 1998 became the first team to win the U16 and U18 European titles in the same year, achieve their goal on Tuesday, there is the prospect of meeting tournament favourites and Group B winners Spain in the semi-finals. "I think that everyone is giving Spain too much respect," Carruthers said.

"I don't mean that in a bad way, all I'm asking is why don't teams go after them? We're not a side that will sit back and let others play around us; we've always been a team to press. I think we could give Spain a really good game. Obviously they have quality players and they are the best team in the world in almost every age group but I don't think any of our players fear them. I'd love to play them."

Having been mentioned as a similar type of player to Cesc Fàbregas, the former Arsenal FC schoolboy describes himself as "more aggressive" than the FIFA World Cup winner but is flattered by the comparisons. "I don't have the same quality as Fàbregas yet as I have to improve on my own game with my passing and also in other aspects," Carruthers said.

"It's quite nice to be compared to a player like that but if I'm honest a player I prefer is Zinédine Zidane; he was unbelievable. No matter where he was on the field the ball was glued to him. He was a legend wherever he played and even now I still appreciate him."

Although his long-term ambition is to one day appear in the Premier League, for now the 18-year-old would be happy to see off Romania. "The hosts started off well against the Czech Republic with a great goal so we have seen what they are capable of," he said. "We're going to go out there and give 100%. We'll do our best and hopefully get through if we manage the win."