All set for 'dream final'

Little between them
A crowd in excess of 10,000 is expected for the showpiece event as the Portuguese hosts go head to head with their Iberian neighbours. In terms of pedigree there is little to choose between the two countries - Spain have won this crown six times in its previous incarnation as an U16 event while Portugal have lifted it on four occasions. Between them the two countries have won the trophy six times in the last eight years, even meeting in the 1995 final, which Portugal won 2-0.

Wealth of experience
Additionally both coaches have a wealth of experience in youth tournaments; Spain's Juan Santisteban having lifted seven youth crowns while Portugal's António Violante has taken part in 13 European Championships, reaching four finals as an assistant coach and winning one out of two finals as a head coach.

Spain edge
In terms of form at this tournament the sides are also evenly matched, having both won three of their four games and drawn the other. Spain possess a slight statistical edge in attack, having scored 12 goals to Portugal's eight. Both teams have conceded four goals in as many games while keeping two clean sheets.

Home advantage
Home advantage will boost the Portuguese, as it did in their dramatic 2-2 draw and subsequent 3-2 penalty shoot-out victory against England in the semi-finals. "The public and support is important and we'll try to match that expectation and pressure," said Violante, who is also pleased that his side have already sealed qualification for the FIFA World Under-17 Championship in Finland.

First goal achieved
"We have achieved our first goal - to be in Finland this summer," he said. "It is a privilege for the players to have reached this tournament and it will be very good for them." Violante also believes that the nature of his side's win against England has demonstrated their strength of character. "We fought until the end," he said. "The players are very mature even if they are only young.

Saleiro dilemma
"I haven't studied Spain yet," Violante added. "But Portugal will not play defensively against them. In the final we will do our best. We will rest then watch the Spain match [on video]. Neither side are favourites." In terms of selection worries Violante's major concern is whether to restore substitutes Saleiro and Bruno Gama, scorer and creator of the injury-time equaliser against England, to his starting lineup.

David set to stay
Spain look certain to keep faith with David, scorer of four goals in the semi-final against Austria, meaning that Xisco, who scored twice in Group B, looks set to stay on the bench. However, coach Santisteban is concerned about his side's stamina and concentration. "During the second half [against Austria] the team seemed to lose concentration and this disturbs me because the same happened against England," said Santisteban.

'Very dangerous'
"Portugal are very dangerous they will cause us a lot of problems," he added. "Players in Spain are not used to playing so many games in such a short period of time. The weather is too hot for young players and they are tired. It's difficult for such young players to calm down between games and conserve their energy for the next game. They want to give all they have and don't always think ahead. We already achieved our first goal which is to be in Finland so now we are playing the final game to win."

Weber perspective
An interesting final perspective on the match comes from Austria coach Ernst Weber, whose side have lost to both countries in this tournament. "They are very similar," he said. "They have the same problems in defence, but Spain has more skilful players in attack."