England block Portugal path

Eagerly-awaited match
This match-up, between two of the pre-tournament favourites, is one of the most eagerly-awaited matches of the tournament so far, and predicting an eventual winner is a near impossible task. One thing is for sure, there is plenty at stake with the victors not only guaranteed a place in Saturday's final but also a trip to Finland later this summer for the FIFA World Under-17 Championship finals.

Fervent support
With the fervent support of the whole country behind them, Portugal possibly start the game as marginal favourites. "We feel very privileged and motivated and we hope to reach the final," said Portugal coach António Violante. "The public's support is important and we'll try to match that expectation and pressure."

High spirits
However England also go into the match in high spirits after booking their place in the last four by coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with highly-fancied Spain in their final Group B game. "Obviously we were delighted with the way that it finished in the end," said England coach John Peacock when asked about his side's stirring fight back. "There's a tremendous character in the group, they really do stick at their task well."

English habit
The English have made something of a habit of coming from behind in this tournament, having also beaten Israel 2-1 in their opening game after falling behind. That performance was followed by a 0-0 draw against Italy that left them needing at least a point against the Spanish to progress.

'Every player has had a start'
"I don't think we've actually put a good 80 minutes together at the moment," said Peacock. "But we've changed our personnel, that was one of our objectives at this tournament to give all the players a chance to experience European finals. Every player has had a start. I think we are probably the only country that has done that in this tournament. They've all had experience so at least everybody can go away after this tournament and say they've played a part in us getting to the semi-finals at least."

Maximum points
Portugal also rotated their side for their final Group A game against Hungary – a 2-0 win which came hot on the heels of victories against Denmark and Austria – ensuring that Violante's side were the only country to reach the semi-finals with a maximum nine points. "Rotation is important because the games are so close together and it is not possible to change eight players during a game," Violante said. "It was a very close group. Maybe Hungary were the weakest team in the group, but it was very difficult. We won all the games but it was hard to do so."

Prolific attack
The Portuguese attack is the second most prolific in the tournament behind Spain's, while their defence has not conceded a goal since their opening game against Denmark. These facts, allied with home advantage, will make them hard to beat. "They are the host nation so the crowd will be with them, so we've got it all to do," said Peacock. "But I think it will be an excellent game."

Hard to predict
Portugal are likely to revert to much the same lineup that faced the Danes and the Austrians, but England's starting eleven is harder to predict given the extensive squad rotation they have employed so far which leaves Peacock with many options in all positions – as well as a full complement of match-hardened players. Whether this proves enough to prevent the hosts reaching the final will be fascinating to see.