Violante relishing challenge

By Diogo Teixeira and Luke Williams

European Under-17 champions Portugal will relish pitting their wits against the best youth sides in the world in the upcoming FIFA World Under-17 Championship in Finland, which begins on 13 August.

Missing trophy
Despite their great pedigree at youth level, the Portuguese have never lifted the world crown for this age group; indeed it is the one trophy missing on a superb list of youth honours. Other UEFA nations have fared little better at the tournament, however, with just two of the nine previous editions having been won by sides from Europe - France in 2001 and the USSR in 1987.

Reason to believe
Portugal have reason to believe they can break their duck this summer though, especially after winning the UEFA European Under-17 Championship on home soil in May - beating the fancied Spaniards 2-1 in an absorbing final in Viseu. Drawn in Group C of the 16-team world event, the Portuguese will take on Yemen, Cameroon, and Brazil for the top two berths in the group and a place in the quarter-finals.

Unknown quantity
While the Yemenis are something of an unknown quantity, the pedigree of Cameroon and two-time tournament winners Brazil is in no doubt. Nevertheless, Portugal coach António Violante is staying calm. "Brazil and Cameroon are great names of world football, and they have great teams at this age group," he told uefa.com. "Yemen are a less famous side but to be in this competition they have to be a strong team."

Tried and trusted
Violante is adamant that in-depth knowledge of the opposition can be counter-productive, and instead urges his players to stick to the formation and philosophies they are used to. "I trust in our work, and we don't adjust our playing system to suit our adversaries. We will take each game as it comes, as we did in the European Championship. We can only win matches with work and responsibility."

Favourites' tag
As European champions, Portugal inevitably enter the tournament among the favourites. Yet as Violante pointed out: "In last FIFA World Cup, France and Argentina were favourites and they didn't qualify for the second phase. So we can only promise to give our best."

No special status
Miguel Veloso, the Sporting Clube de Portugal defender who is a key player in Portugal's squad, is of a similar opinion. "We go to Finland with the ambition of doing the best we can for our country," he said. "The fact we are European champions doesn't give us any special status as favourites."

'In good shape'
Portugal's cause will certainly be aided by their formidable team spirit. "I think Spain have a better team than us," Violante admitted. "But we beat them in the European final because my players managed to excel themselves." A three-day training camp with his players has also buoyed Violante's spirits. "At this time of the season most players are ending their holiday, but all of them are in good shape," he said. "We have a tough programme to get the players to full fitness, but I think they will respond very well."

Players to watch
FC Porto have more players in the 20-man squad than any other club and two of them, wily right-winger Adelino Freitas and combative midfield man Paulo Machado, are among the names to keep an eye on in Finland.

Portuguese honours in youth competitions:
UEFA European Under-18 Championship
Winners 1994, 1999; Runners-up 1988, 1990, 1992, 1997
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winners 2003
UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Winners 1989, 1995, 1996, 2000
FIFA World Youth Cup
Winners 1989, 1991

Portugal squad for FIFA World Under-17 Championship:

Goalkeepers: Mário Felgueiras (Sporting), Pedro Freitas (Vitória SC), Hugo Marques (Porto).
Defenders: João Dias (Porto), Tiago Gomes (SL Benfica), Tiago Costa (Porto), Paulo Ricardo (Vitória), Miguel Veloso (Sporting). 
Midfield players: João Coimbra (Benfica), Manuel Curto (Benfica), Vítor Vinha (AA Coimbra), João Moutinho (Sporting), Márcio Sousa (Porto), Paulo Machado (Porto), Bruno Gama (SC Braga), Manuel Fernandes (Benfica).
Forwards: João Pedro (Braga), Helder Barbosa (Porto), Saleiro (Sporting), Adelino Freitas (Porto).