Mutual respect on show in Mariupol

There was plenty of mutual respect as the coaches of Group B rivals Spain, France, Turkey and Serbia sat down together in Mariupol ahead of Tuesday's opening round of UEFA European Under-19 Championship matches.

All to play for
In what looks certain to be a closely contested group, 2005 champions France launch their challenge against Aleksandar Stanojević's Serbia at the Zapadnji Stadium while Spain – four-time winners of this tournament – begin with a mouthwatering fixture at the Illychivets Stadium against a Turkey team who impressed in qualifying. During the pre-finals press conference each coach was keen to stress that nothing could be taken for granted in a section containing so much quality.

Familiar territory 
France's Jean Gallice, the elder statesman, kicked off proceedings in a light-hearted manner, joking that at 60 years old he expected to be treated kindly by his younger counterparts. "As the older coach, I hope the others sitting here will be polite with me and my team," he said. Having guided France to the title four years ago, Gallice and his side are in familiar surroundings in Mariupol, with the coach saying: "We prepared here in April so we know the quality of the pitches is excellent. We got used to the Ukrainian way of life but I'm not sure if that's an advantage because there are always surprises at this level."

Groundwork laid
Spain coach Luis Milla, meanwhile, is looking no further than his charges' opener against Turkey, with the former FC Barcelona, Real Madrid CF and Valencia CF midfielder predicting a tough match. "The game with the Turkish boys will be hard-fought and intense," he said. "We know the two teams are strong and evenly-matched but we have a lot of confidence." La Roja eliminated 2008 champions Germany in this season's Elite Round of qualifying and Milla says they have put in the necessary effort to build on that performance: "We've been preparing intensely and we believe with that hard work we've given ourselves the best chance of success."

'Terrific match'
With six wins in six qualifiers en route to these finals, Turkey have earned their reputation as one of the teams to beat in Ukraine, yet coach Ogün Temizkanoğlu reckons there are no favourites among the Group B quartet. "We are in a very nice group, but make no mistake that it's a very competitive one. What we have are four strong teams who have equal chances," the ex-Trabzonspor player said ahead of Tuesday's repeat of the 2004 final, edged 1-0 by Spain in Nyon, Switzerland. "We both finished [the Elite Round] with nine points and that suggests the match between us will be terrific."

Highly motivated
Serbia coach Aleksandar Stanojević is more bullish, saying simply: "We scored 17 goals in qualifying and conceded three so I think we have a good team." The 35-year-old will be missing key players for this tournament but argues that being drawn in such a strong section will work to Serbia's advantage. "It's a huge motivation for my players to be in a group like this," he said, his side attempting to improve on their group-stage exit in 2007. "Being here is something of a success for us and now we're looking forward to playing France. After that is out of the way, let's see what happens."