Kerr: underdogs will have their day

Scotland scraped through to the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship as best runners-up and, having bowed out after the group stage in their two previous finals, they will arrive in Skopje as massive underdogs. A tough group featuring holders England, three-time winners Germany and 2008 champions Italy hardly raises hopes, but coach Shelley Kerr says "anything is possible". After all, two years ago the Azzurrine beat a Norway side that had qualified in similar fashion.

UEFA.com: How much are you looking forward to leading Scotland into the finals?

Shelley Kerr: I'm very proud and absolutely thrilled to be working with such a talented group of players. It's an amazing achievement [to get to the finals] and that's down to the hard work, dedication, hunger and desire of the players and staff, so everyone involved is very excited. I have been working with this group of players for just over a year and they have developed and progressed so much, they have such belief and trust in each other and these are very good qualities to have. I'm very proud of their achievements to date and reaching the finals has raised the profile of the women's game in Scotland yet again.

UEFA.com: The draw couldn't have been much tougher?

Kerr: When you get down to the last eight there are no easy games. We knew we would be in a competitive group no matter how the draw panned out. Anything is possible. We've earned our place at the finals and we've got a strong, settled squad that has shown genuine growth and development throughout this tournament. We're under no illusions about how challenging these games will be, but it's very exciting to be playing against the top teams.

UEFA.com: What are your expectations?

Kerr: No doubt we'll be seen as underdogs because we qualified as the best runners-up, but that's not our mindset. We've earned our place; we're there on merit and we're looking forward to getting out to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We know what we're up against now and it's all about our final preparations. Anything is possible.

UEFA.com: How much will the players be looking forward to the England game?

Kerr: I know from my own playing days that there never needs to be any extra motivation when you play England, so I'm sure both sets of players will be up for that one.

UEFA.com: The senior men's side found the heat in FYROM difficult to cope with during their World Cup qualifying campaign. Will that be a problem for your side?

Kerr: Obviously it will be difficult as we are not used to the warm weather here in Scotland. However, we have a very knowledgeable team who will ensure we are well-educated and equipped to cope with the change in climate.

For a more in-depth look at Scotland and how they qualified, click here.