Denmark aiming high in Portugal

Denmark coach Flemming Serritslev is targeting a semi-final place as his side prepare for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Portugal.

Tough qualifiers
Having come through qualifying comfortably despite competition from the likes of Turkey, Ukraine and Greece in the group stage and Russia in the final play-offs, Denmark have emerged as a significant force. Serritslev is confident that good form will continue at the finals. "We are up against strong teams, of course, but our first criterion for success is to qualify for the semi-finals, which obviously means finishing first or second in the group," he told uefa.com. "We have a lot of really good players. What is particularly good is that many of them play at a very high level, either in Denmark or abroad. Furthermore, the players function very well collectively, so I think we have a very strong team."

Strong opponents
Drawn against Italy, the Netherlands and their qualifying round opponents Ukraine in Group B, Denmark cannot expect an easy ride in Portugal. "We can only improve ourselves by playing against the best," said Serritslev, who will step down at the end of the finals to return to Vejle BK as sporting director. "I have seen every team play, and they all have a lot of quality, but obviously Portugal have an advantage as hosts. We also know that France are very strong. Italy have a great track record at previous finals, and the Netherlands always play fine football, so it is difficult to pick a favourite."