Hard struggle likely in Hungary

One of the toughest UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite round groups of recent times will be played out in Hungary between Wednesday and next Monday as Portugal, England and Serbia take on the hosts for a place in the finals in Germany. uefa.com previews Group 7.

HUNGARY
Home advantage will be strong for Hungary as eight of the squad play for Haladás FC of Szombathely, whose Rohonci Út Stadium will stage all their matches. Of that octet, Máté Skriba and István Kovács are already in the first team for the top-flight club. Hungary coach Wilco van Buuren said: "We need to play our own game to have chance of qualification from this tough group."

Qualifying round: Georgia 2-2, Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0, Czech Republic 0-0, Group 7 runners-up

Key players: Róbert Ambrusics (goalkeeper, Leicester City FC), Máté Skriba (midfielder, Haladás FC), Csaba Ponczók (midfielder, MTK Budapest), Kenneth Otigba (defender, SC Heerenveen), Nagy Armand (midfielder, Budapest Honvéd FC)

PORTUGAL
Since winning the title in 2003 and finishing third the next year, Portugal have not qualified for the U17 finals but under Edgar Borges have high hopes after winning the Torneio Internacional do Algarve last month, beating Elite round rivals England 2-0, Israel 3-0 and holding France 0-0 - a boost after losing 2-1 and 3-2 to Denmark in December. Without injured FC Porto midfielder João Amorim and Sporting Clube de Portugal defender Rui Coentrão, Borges said: "It is a tight group and we have to be a steady and focused. I want that the players feel the importance of this Elite round but in a good way. I want them to play with passion and without reservations."

Qualifying round: Kazakhstan 2-0, Faroe Islands 4-1, Wales 4-2 (Group 4 winners)

Key players: Ruben Pinto (midfielder, SL Benfica), William Carvalho (midfielder, Sporting Clube de Portugal), Filipe Barros (forward, FC Porto), Kabi (midfielder, Chelsea FC), Luís Gustavo (midfielder, FC Barcelona)

ENGLAND
England reached the final for the first time in 2007 but last season failed to qualify for only the second time since the U17 classification began in 2001/02. Results have been mixed so far this season; they held Spain 1-1 in the qualifying round, a useful outcome as the reigning champions have now reached the finals, but at the Torneio Internacional do Algarve they lost 2-0 to both Portugal and France before beating Israel 4-0. In August they also lost 2-1 at home to Portugal. The squad includes Jack Wilshere, who this season became Arsenal FC's youngest ever player in the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. There are also famous names in Thomas Ince, the son of former England captain Paul, and Jacob Walcott, whose cousin Theo played at the 2005 U17 finals. Manager John Peacock said: "We know it will be tough. Of all the games I've been a part of during my time with England, I’d say I've had more difficulty and more games against Portugal than any other nation."

Qualifying round: Armenia 0-0, Estonia 7-0, Spain 1-1 (Group 13 runners-up)

Key players: Jose Baxter (forward, Everton FC), Jack Wilshere (midfielder Arsenal FC), Ryan Tunnicliffe (midfielder, Manchester United FC)

SERBIA
Serbia have produced some strong U17 teams in recent years, qualifying for last year's finals, and completed their warm-up by beating Finland 1-0 after a 2-1 loss. Left-winger Andrej Mrkela has just made his FK Crvena Zvezda debut and is hopeful of overcoming a knock to bolster an otherwise full-strength side. Coach Dušan Šuljagić said: "Our main problem is the fact that the domestic U17 competition only started last week. My players are not at the peak of their form, but we are using our training camp for physical preparation. Our group is the hardest one – if we eliminate England and Portugal, we could do anything at the EURO. The first match against the home team will be very important for us. I am an optimist, but we must show our class when it is important – on the pitch in Hungary."

Qualifying round: Moldova 5-0, Sweden 2-0, Croatia 1-2 (Group 6 runners-up)

Key players: Vladimir Kovačević (defender, FK Vojvodina), Filip Djuričić (midfielder, SC Hereenveen), Andrej Mrkela (midfielder, FK Crvena Zvezda), Djordje Šušnjar (forward, FK Vojvodina)