Russians raring to go

By Eduard Nisenboim

Russia are seeking to qualify for the finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship for the first time and put the Elite round disappointments of the past two seasons behind them as they welcome Group 6 opponents Ukraine, Lithuania and Norway.

Past disappointments
Yury Smirnov's team missed out at this stage in both 2002/03 and 2003/04 but, with home advantage on their side and having finished first in Group 9 in the qualifying round, the Russians will be optimistic of progressing this time. Emphatic victories against Cyprus and Andorra, 5-1 and 5-0 respectively, meant a final-day defeat by the Republic of Ireland was academic.

Predatory Pravossoud
Having scored four times in Russia's warm-up friendlies, PFC CSKA Moskva forward Serguei Pravossoud should be the side's main source of goals, although Smirnov is again without CSKA's first-choice goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev due to club commitments. The squad is still full of first-team experience, however, with midfield player Serguei Kouznetsov already a regular for FC Dinamo Moskva while Valery Pavlov and Oleg Ivanov both feature frequently in the first division.

High ambitions
"We are gathering momentum," said Smirnov. "Our task is to get through to the finals. We examined our opponents pretty well; we played Ukraine twice last year and watched their latest matches. We cannot underestimate anyone, but our main rivals in the fight for first place are the Ukrainians as they have a very strong team."

Bouncing back
Ukraine reached the semi-finals of last season's competition, only losing on penalties to eventual winners Spain, and like the Russians reached this stage as qualifying round section winners. Yuri Kalitvintsev's players recovered from a shock opening defeat at the hands of Moldova to win their next two games, 1-0 against Switzerland and 2-1 against Poland, and finish two points clear at the head of Group 2.

U21 experience
Kalitvintsev, who also recently took charge of Ukraine's U16 side, has coached the current U19 crop for the past four seasons and can count on the likes of goalkeeper Bohdan Shust and strikers Ruslan Fomin, of FC Shakhtar Donetsk, and Oleksandr Gladkyy, who are all already U21 internationals. Midfield pair Kostyantyn Yaroshenko and Konstyantyn Kravchenko are also key figures, the former scoring in a 1-1 draw away to Belarus on 20 April.

Confidence rising
Slender successes against Georgia and Malta proved sufficient for Lithuania to progress as runners-up behind Slovakia in qualifying round Group 5 and coach Saulius Vertelis believes that experience will stand his players in good stead in Russia. "After the mini-tournament in Slovakia my lads gained important mental strength and now have confidence in their abilities," he said. "We will go to Moscow without shivers in our knees and keen to fight against all of our opponents."

Five for Bartkus
Andrius Bartkus scored all five of Lithuania's goals in the last round, including a hat-trick against Georgia, and the FK Atlantas striker could well carry his side's hopes once again. His club-mate Kazimieras Gnedojus is a crucial presence in defence, while 2m-tall goalkeeper Arvydas Kacinkevicius forms a towering barrier between the posts.

Contrasting fortunes
Norway coach Tor Ole Skullerud has seen his side record a series of mixed results since finishing second as mini-tournament hosts in qualifying round Group 12, with subsequent matches producing a 5-1 win against Denmark and 3-0 losses to both Ireland and Scotland. Midfield pair Per Ciljan Skjelbred and Alexander Tettey have both recently broken into the senior squad of champions Rosenborg BK, while IK Start's tall striker Jesper Mathisen is another name to note.

Additional reporting by Igor Linnyk, Kestas Gimbutas and Eivind Aarre