Holders Germany going for glory again

Holders Germany face an examination of their UEFA European Under-19 Championship credentials when they take on four-time winners Spain, 2008 semi-finalists Czech Republic and mini-tournament hosts Estonia in Group 7.

Tough task
The Elite round section features three of the sides who were involved in the 2007/08 finals, where Germany ended Spain's 23-match unbeaten run in the first round of group games and went on to beat the Czech hosts 2-1 in the semi-finals en route to lifting the trophy. Spain had triumphed in the previous two editions of the competition but failed to progress from the group stage following that Germany setback while the Czechs are aiming to better two semi-finals in the last three seasons. Estonia have never before reached this stage but will hope to impress on home soil.

GERMANY
Heiko Herrlich's side recorded three qualifying-round victories, and the coach is confident recent friendly victories against Finland (7-0) and Serbia (1-0) have sharpened his side. "We absolutely want to reach the finals in Ukraine, and the wins against Finland and Serbia showed our determination," said Herrlich, who will build his team around midfielders Toni Kroos and Sebastian Rudy. "We want to build upon those performances, although it's difficult with only three games. That's good experience for these players for the future, because there's a similar system at all big tournaments."

Qualifying round: Luxembourg 3-0, Lithuania 5-0, Netherlands 2-1 (Group 6 winners)

Key players: Toni Kroos (midfielder, Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Sebastian Rudy (midfielder, VfB Stuttgart), Konstantin Rausch (defender, Hannover 96), Lewis Holtby (striker, TSV Alemannia Aachen)

SPAIN
Coach Luis Milla stuck to a winning formula when he sat down to choose his squad for a final training camp in Madrid. Having gained an impressive 3-0 friendly win away to England in February, Spain travel to Estonia in confident mood. Real Murcia CF's Dani Aquino – who missed that victory through injury – has since returned while in midfield captain Ignacio Camacho, Fran Mérida and Jordi Pablo have all gained first-team experience with their clubs this season.

Qualifying round: Faroe Islands 5-0, Belarus 4-0, Switzerland 0-2 (Group 13 winners)

Key players: Dani Aquino (striker, Real Murcia CF), Ignacio Camacho (midfielder, Club Atlético de Madrid), Fran Mérida (midfielder, Arsenal FC), Jordi Pablo (midfielder, Villarreal CF)

ESTONIA
Friendly wins against Latvia and Liechtenstein, allied to impressive displays against Greece and Belarus in their other warm-up games, have boosted Frank Bernhardt's hopes of springing a surprise. "We have learned all about our three rivals," the coach told uefa.com. "Of course they're very strong opponents but they all have weak points in different positions and we know where they are. We are capable of getting points in any of these games. I promise the games against Estonia will be tough for them."

Qualifying round: Croatia 4-1, Belgium 0-5, Kazakhstan 2-1 (Group 2 runners-up)

Key players: Henri Anier (striker, FC Flora), Igor Subbotin (defender, FC Levadia Tallinn), Henrik Ojamaa (striker, Derby County FC), Maksim Paponov (midfielder, PFC CSKA Sofia)

CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czechs must cope without AC Sparta Praha's 17-year-old striker Václav Kadlec and fellow forward Jan Chramosta, who has scored five goals in seven games since his 1. Liga debut for FK Mladá Boleslav last month. Coach Aleš Křeček – whose side lost 5-0 and won 2-1 in friendlies against Germany last September – is a great believer in team ethic, explaining: "We're not a side of great stars but one of teamwork. The group is very difficult, Spain and Germany are among the best in Europe and have individual talent we don't, but organisation could bring us success."

Qualifying round: Cyprus 1-1, Denmark 0-0, Georgia 1-0 (Group 7 runners-up)

Key player: Milan Mišun (defender, Celtic FC)