Cyprus aim to surprise Spain

Cyprus will stage the first of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite round groups, starting on Thursday, but Spain are aiming to beat the hosts to a place in Luxembourg after their disappointments last year.

'Good chance'
Switzerland pipped Spain 12 months ago, the first time the Spanish had missed an U16 or U17 finals since 1987. Cyprus, like Wales and Moldova, will be seeking to deny Juan Santisteban's team in Group 5, and talented AEK Larnaca FC midfielder Stephanos Georgiou says the hosts can take top spot. "I believe we can qualify from the group," he told uefa.com. "We definitely have a good chance so we are going to give it a go. I wouldn't say the group is hard. It certainly isn't easy when you look at the opposition, but compared to some of the other groups we can't really complain."

Spanish target
His coach, Christakis Christophorou, whose side defeated Scotland and Austria to progress from the qualifying round behind Hungary, is also optimistic - but knows the opener against Spain in Paralimni will be their biggest test. "Theoretically, our chances are 25 per cent, but then again we have to take into account that we will be facing Spain who are arguably one of the best teams in the world for their age category," Christophorou said. "They always qualify for major tournaments and they have even won major tournaments so toppling them in the first game will be our biggest target." However, he is concerned that his players will suffer next year when the home-based players are called up for national service.

Experienced Santisteban
Christophorou's Spanish opposite number Santisteban has spent nearly two decades in charge, with six U16 victories in that time. Having been seeded to avoid the qualifying round, Spain's spring preparations began with a tournament in the Canary Islands. They beat Austria U18s 3-1 and Northern Ireland U18s 2-0, but lost to the hosts' senior selection 1-0. They then overcame their Polish counterparts 2-1 in a friendly. Strikers Emilio Nsue and Rubén Ramos will spearhead a diamond formation, with Spain deploying their usual skilful and technical game.

Moldovan rise
But the mini-tournament has more than two contenders, and Moldova have blossomed at youth level of late. Last season their U19s qualified for the finals in Northern Ireland, matching their U17 achievement of 2002. They topped their qualifying round pool, defeating Liechtenstein and Norway, and holding Poland. The leader of the side is 16-year-old Aleksandr Dedov, who scored twice in the qualifying round. Coach Ilie Vieri said: "These young men have proved that, for them, defending the honour of their country is not just words."

'Highest goals'
His team have been warming up in Tiraspol, and showed their strength in two friendlies against fellow Elite round challengers. They drew 2-2 with Ukraine, Oleg Andronik and Anatol Keptene scoring, before Aleksandr Paschenco claimed the only goal in a victory against Romania. "We always set the highest goals for ourselves and the players," Vieri said. "We have a good team and every player understands how much responsibility they have."

Welsh hopes
Unlike their rivals, Wales have never reached an U16 or U17 finals. In the qualifying round Brian Flynn's boys drew with Kazakhstan, ousted Estonia then went down 3-0 to Switzerland, before also succumbing 2-0 to the Swiss in a friendly last month. In January they played two games in Malta, losing 4-1 to Scotland but overcoming the home nation 2-0. Among the squad are highly-rated Chelsea FC goalkeeper Rhys Taylor and Southampton FC defender Gareth Bale.

Additional reporting by Lucy Turner & Miron Goihman