Under-17 team guide: Denmark

For Denmark's Under-17 team page click here

As hosts of last season's inaugural UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Denmark reached the quarter-finals before losing a titanic stuggle against highly-fancied Spain on penalties. At this year's tournament they will be looking to build on that success by qualifying for the semi-finals from Group A - which also contains Portugal, Austria and Hungary.

THE COACH:
Hans Brun Larsen has been Denmark's U17 and U16 coach since 1996, and led the side last season when they hosted the U17 finals and reached the last eight of the then 16-team tournament.

Long career
Brun Larsen, who is also assistant coach of Denmark's U21 side, was born on 30 January 1943 and has been involved in football since 1953, when he joined Kastrup BK as a young boy. He entered coaching in 1965 and enjoyed spells on the staff of Hvidovre IF, Karslunde IF, and Vanløse IF among others. He joined the Danish Football Association (DFB) in 1971 and has worked for them ever since.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Denmark's U17 captain and defender Michael Jakobsen, who plays for B93 København in his native country, has been winning many plaudits. Born on 2 January 1986 the youngster was ever present throughout the country's six qualifiers, scoring one goal. Top-scoring forward Mads Torry Lindeneg, who scored two crucial goals in qualifying is another promising youngster to keep an eye on.

ROUTE TO THE FINALS:
In the first qualifying round the Danes topped Group 9 with seven points from three games. After drawing with Northern Ireland in their opening game, a 1-0 win against Malta and a thrilling 3-2 victory against Sweden, in which the Danes withstood a rousing comeback from their opponents, saw them top the group on goals scored.

Thrilling win
In the second qualifying round the Danes topped Group 2 despite losing two of their three qualifiers. A 1-0 defeat in their opening game against Scandinavian opponents Norway became a 3-0 win for Denmark when it emerged that Norway had fielded an ineligible player for the game. The Danes then beat Croatia 3-2 in a thriller before losing 2-0 to Russia in their final game. The Croatians won their final game to finish level with the Danes on six points, but Brun Larsen's side went through on the head-to-head rule.

Denmark youth honours:
UEFA European Under-16 Championship:
Runners-up 1994