Ireland put faith in forward firepower

Republic of Ireland manager Sean McCaffrey believes his side have the firepower to overcome Germany, Hungary and Bulgaria as they bid to reach the finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship for the first time since 2002.

Rely on Rooney
McCaffrey's side have home advantage as Group 1 kicks off and, having lost out at this stage for the last four seasons but defeated F.Y.R. Macedonia, Belarus and the Netherlands in winning qualifying Group 3 this time round, hopes are high they can reach the finals in Austria in July. Much will depend on Stoke City FC forward Adam Rooney, who scored five qualifying-round goals and seven in six competitive U19 fixtures overall.

Senior ambition
Sunderland AFC forward Anthony Stokes will be available for the games with Germany and Bulgaria but will miss the concluding match against the Hungarians having been included in the senior squad for the tour to the United States. McCaffrey sees this as a natural progression, telling uefa.com: "Five of last year's U19 team have already made it into the senior squad, lads like Anthony Stokes, Shane Long, Darren O'Dea and Darren Randolph. That's good progress and something for this year's party to aim for."

'Good chances'
Germany lost out to eventual champions Spain in the 2005/06 Elite round and finished second behind last season's runners-up Scotland in qualifying round Group 9 in the autumn, but boast a squad full of first-team experience. FC Schalke 04 winger Mesut Özli and defender Benedikt Höwedes and Hertha BSC Berlin midfield pair Jerome Boateng and Manuel Schmiedebach are all key players for coach Frank Engel, who is optimistic his side can progress. "No matter which players we field, we want to qualify," the 56-year-old said. "Our chances are good as I have faith in all of my squad."

Németh excellence
Hungary have never reached the U19 finals but have qualified for this stage every year since 2003 and are banking on the goals of MTK Budapest striker Krisztián Németh, who scored seven times in qualifying-round wins against Cyprus, Azerbaijan and Armenia and has 12 goals in as many 1. Liga starts for his club this season. "My biggest challenge is to create a real team," said coach Péter Várhidi, who is also in charge of the senior national side. "My job is to build a harmonious environment where everyone shows their own skills and style."

'Quality sides'
Bulgaria reached the Elite round last season but lost all three matches and coach Boris Angelov expects another tough battle, telling uefa.com: "Our opponents are all quality sides." His team have talent of their own however, with PFC Levski Sofia trio Nikolay Mihaylov, Lachezar Baltanov and Mariyan Ognyanov all appearing in the UEFA Champions League this season – the latter scoring against Chelsea FC – and defender Ivan Ivanov featuring in PFC CSKA Sofia's UEFA Cup campaign. "We have several promising players," Angelov added. "They all know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The core of the team is quite experienced and that will give us extra confidence."

Additional reporting by Manfred Christoph, Márton Dinnyes and Stoyan Georgiev