Norway set sights on final four

By Andrew Haslam in Belfast

Norway can book a place in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship semi-finals should they record a second successive Group B victory against France in Belfast tonight, while England and Armenia will look for their first win of the finals as they meet in Ballymena.

Early advantage
Norway are the section's early leaders having defeated the Armenians 2-0 on Monday, when France and England played out a 1-1 draw at The Oval in Belfast. But if coach Tor Ole Skullerund was delighted with his team's start to the competition, he remained cautiously optimistic.

First-game focus
"We set our focus on the first game, which we obviously wanted to win," the coach said. "That game was very important for us, and we have started the championship positively. We have two tough games coming up but have no pressure and can just let ourselves loose. We will have our hands full but if we can continue to defend well we will do fine.

Fluctuating fortunes
"Against Armenia when we were good, we were really good but there were periods when we were not so good," Skullerund went on. "Therefore we have to go back to the training pitch and try to improve on that. But we have everything to gain now. We were optimistic when we came and we are even more optimistic now."

Trio available again
France in turn are buoyed by the return from suspension of midfield pair Vassiriki Diaby and Yohan Cabaye, while Paris Saint-Germain FC striker Franck Dja Djedje is also available again after a one-match ban. Coach Jean Gallice, however, completes a two-match touchline suspension against the Norwegians, so Philippe Bergeroo – who guided the U17 side to victory in last year's European Championship and also coached France in their successful UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup campaign earlier this year – is likely to be on the bench again.

Words of caution
Bergeroo, though, does not accept that the returning trio will necessarily make life easier, saying: "Football is not an exact science. Regardless of the result between Norway and Armenia, we knew how good the Norwegian team is, and we take them very seriously."

Eager to play
Dja Djedje is eager to make an impact, having scored three times in qualifying, telling uefa.com: "It is really a strange feeling to watch your team play from the stands, especially against England. We played well despite the suspensions, but now I am very impatient to play and am looking forward to the match against Norway. I don't know them or their style of play, so it will be new."

Hunter hopeful
England, meanwhile, will hope to bolster their qualification bid with three points against first-time qualifiers Armenia at The Showgrounds. "We were short of fitness against France, but we are confident for the next match," said coach Martin Hunter. "We will review the fitness and make appropriate changes for the match against Armenia. This is a European Championship final [tournament], we take each match as it comes. We know that if we don't perform to the maximum we won't qualify."

Manucharyan threat
Goals from Karim Aoudia and Vidar Nisja condemned Armenia to defeat on their first-ever appearance in a finals tournament, but Samuel Petrosyan's team will seek to bounce back in style. Striker Edgar Manucharyan joined AFC Ajax on 1 July and, having scored eight of his side's ten goals in qualifying, will attempt to add to that tally on Wednesday.