Final showdown arrives

By Andrew Haslam in Blois

French football fans can expect an entertaining climax to the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, according to France coach Philippe Bergeroo and his Spanish counterpart Juan Santisteban.

Mutual respect
The two sides contest the final at Châteauroux's Stade Gaston Petit on Saturday evening, and both coaches were keen to emphasise their respect for the opposition at the pre-final press conference in Blois.

Spanish strength
"Spain are an excellent side," said Bergeroo, whose team have won all four games in the competition so far. "They play very well as a team and have a number of very good individual players, such as Carmona, Marcos and Diego."

Second-half turnaround
The hosts reached the final thanks to a ruthless second-half display that earned a 3-1 victory against holders Portugal, with Samir Nasri, Jérémy Menez and Hatem Ben Arfa getting the goals. Bergeroo's side trailed at the interval, and the French coach said afterwards that he thought his side had let the pressure of the occasion affect their performance. However, he does not envisage similar problems in Châteauroux. "You never know how players will cope with pressure, but they are motivated to do well for France," he said. "The fans will give us good support again."

Group success
Bergeroo's team have already met Spain, winning 1-0 thanks to Mario's own goal in the second round of matches in Group A, but the French coach does not believe that result will have any bearing on the final, saying: "This will be a completely different game from the group match, as this is the final. It's true that we managed to win the first game, but Spain had a number of opportunities and we will have to concentrate."

Meridian place
The two finalists will join hosts Turkey in the 2005 UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup, together with the winners of the third/fourth-place play-off between England and Portugal earlier at the same venue. Bergeroo acknowledged the importance his side attached to the competition. "Our first objective was to qualify from the group, then reach the final and now we are are aiming to win it. It was very important for us to qualify for the Meridian Cup, because it is another series of competitive matches for the players. We had to prepare for this tournament with a series of friendlies and we did not want the same situation next year."

Three triumphs
Santisteban was equally pleased to have booked Spain's place in the Meridian Cup. "We have won this title three times in four attempts and in the other we reached the final, so it has been a good competition for us," he said. "But first we are focused on the final and on winning the trophy."

Piqué lift
Santisteban is without midfield player Pecci through suspension, but Piqué is in line to return to bolster the defence having been banned for the dramatic 2-1 semi-final victory against England, Cesc converting a last-minute penalty to send Spain through. Santisteban's team also reached the final a year ago, losing to Iberian neighbours Portugal.

French motivation
"France are a strong team, perhaps the best in Europe at the moment, and that motivates the players," the Spain coach continued. "It will be an excellent final as France are technically very good, and I have a lot of respect for their coaches. I feel that we have been the two best teams in the tournament, and I expect a good result."

Large attendance
Around 14,000 spectators are expected for the final which kicks off at 19.00CET, with the third/fourth-placed play-off starting at 15.30CET.