England the team to beat

Semi rematch
An England side packed with Premier League talent kick off the tournament with a game against Poland in Borisov on 26 May while the hosts, making their second appearance in the Elite round, take on Serbia in Minsk. Serbia's best ever U19 performance came when they reached the semi-finals in 2005 as Serbia and Montenegro, only to be knocked out by England, but they can avenge that defeat as they meet Brian Eastick's side on 28 May, as Belarus take on Poland. The hosts play England in their final game as Serbia play Poland on 31 May.

ENGLAND
Boasting a number of players who have now made their Premier League debuts, England have been busy in the run-up to the finals, winning friendly games against Belarus (4-0), Croatia (2-0) and Russia (3-1) but losing 1-0 to Germany last November. Defender James Tomkins, who made his debut for West Ham recently, said: "We're doing really well and have had a few good results recently, so we are going to the qualifiers looking to keep it going."

Qualifying round: Iceland 5-1, Romania 6-0, Belgium 3-1 (Group 3 winners)

Key players: James Tomkins (defender, West Ham United FC), Freddie Sears (forward, West Ham United FC), Scott Sinclair (forward, Chelsea FC)

POLAND
"England must be favourites, but we'll see," said Poland coach Jacek Dziubiński. "I have a few boys who have started to play in the Polish top division and it helps the team." Among those players is Ariel Borysiuk, who became Legia Warszawa's youngest ever goalscorer in February, registering against Odra Wodzisław at the age of 16 years and 213 days.

Qualifying round: San Marino 5-0, Lithuania 1-1, Armenia 0-0

Key players: Grzegorz Sandomierski (goalkeeper, Jagiellonia Białystok), Ariel Borysiuk (midfielder, Legia Warszawa), Grzegorz Krychowiak (midfielder, FC Girondins de Bordeaux)

BELARUS
Belarus have played all of their Group 1 rivals before. They have beaten Poland once in three meetings, drawing the other two, and have drawn 1-1 with Serbia, although their only meeting with England ended in a 4-0 loss. "We have a very talented team but we also have problems," said coach Pavel Rodnenok. "When we're up against middling teams, we play decent football, but we struggle against elite teams, especially in defence."

Qualifying round: Republic of Ireland 2-0, Portugal 1-2, Andorra 5-1 (Group 1 runners-up)

Key players: Arstiom Hamelka (goalkeeper, FC Lokomotiv Moskva), Andrei Vorontkov (forward, FC Dynamo Kyiv), Uladzimir Yurchanka (forward, FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast)

SERBIA
Serbia are one of two teams to qualify for the Elite round after finishing third in their qualifying section with one of the best records against the top two sides in their group. However, their preparations for the finals have been hampered by a three-match ban handed to left winger Rajko Brežančić for misdemeanours in the qualifying round. Coach Zlatko Krmpotić said: "His case is a lesson for every player for the future. I am an optimist and I expect that we can continue our successful run in the youth categories."

Qualifying round: Liechtenstein 3-0, Albania 1-2, Spain 1-1 (Group 5 third place)

Key players: Nikola Gulan (midfielder, UC Sampdoria), Nenad Krstičić (midfielder, OFK Beograd), Nemanja Kojić (forward, FK Rad)