Turkey

In the finals for the third time in six years, Turkey boast qualifying's top scorer in Gaziantepspor forward Muhammet Demir, who managed eight goals as the spearhead of Kemal Özdeş' attacking lineup.

A 3-3 draw against Wales gave an indication of Turkey's scoring prowess and, once the defence was tightened up, the 2004 runners-up cruised into the elite round. Their victories against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (3-1) and Hungary (6-1) set up a winner-takes-all meeting against Germany, when Muhammet's first-half strike proved decisive.

"First of all I would like to thank all my players," said Özdeş. "Our goal was to reach the finals and now we've got a new goal – to be successful there. We believe there's a very bright future for Turkish football." His side rely heavily on Muhammet's goals, although attacking midfielder Engin Bekdemir also contributed four, with his passes also at the heart of many of the team's best moves.

Orhan Gülle links defence and midfield, while Nadir Çiftçi might not have scored in qualifying but brings a valuable aerial threat to the attack. Turkey's team is made up of players who are regulars for their clubs, although not necessarily at senior level.

Qualifying round: Wales 3-3, Kazakhstan 5-1, Iceland 2-1 (first in Group 1)

Elite round: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 3-1, Hungary 6-1, Germany 1-0 (Group 7 winners)

Key players: Muhammet Demir (midfielder, Gaziantepspor), Orhan Gülle (midfielder, Gaziantepspor), Engin Bekdemir (midfielder, Kayserispor), Nadir Çiftçi (forward, Portsmouth FC)

Coach: Kemal Özdeş

Date of birth: 10 May 1970
Playing career: Manisaspor, Manisa Tarımspor, Manisa Mensucatspor
Coaching career: Bergama Belediyespor, Denizlispor (assistant), Gaziantepspor (assistant), Siirtspor (assistant), MKE Ankaragücü (assistant), Konyaspor (assistant), Kayserispor (assistant), Manisaspor (assistant), Trabzonspor AŞ (assistant), Turkey Under-19

A defensive midfielder, Özdeş joined Manisaspor's youth team at the end of the 1980s following spells at several local amateur clubs. After time at Manisa Tarımspor and Manisa Mensucatspor he opted to retire in 1994, moving into coaching with Bergama Belediyespor's youth teams the following February.

After a stint as the club's head coach, in 2000 Özdeş became assistant to Tevfik Lav, a position he held at a number of clubs until Lav's death in a car crash in 2004. Following a brief spell at Kayserispor, he then linked up with former Turkey coach Ersun Yanal, alongside whom he worked at Manisaspor and Trabzonspor. Yanal was appointed director of football at the Turkish Foootball Association (TFF) in February 2010 and Özdeş became U19 coach.

Team facts

Qualifying top scorer
Muhammet Demir: 8

UEFA European Under-19 Championship best
Runners-up 2004

Honours in UEFA youth competition
UEFA European Under-18 Championship
Winners 1992
Runners-up 1993

UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winners 2005

UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Winners 1994