Greece

Four years after losing the final to Spain and three after their most recent appearance in the tournament, Greece qualified in impressive fashion, winning all three elite-round fixtures and booking their finals place with a 2-1 win against holders France.

Their main strength is their collective spirit, although a number of players have top-flight experience, particularly striker Apostolos Vellios, central defender Giannis Potouridis and attacking midfielder Kostas Fortounis. Goalkeeper Stefanos Kapino and right winger Charis Mavrias stepped up from the U17s to play pivotal roles in the elite round.

Leonidas Vokolos' side only squeezed through the qualifying round by virtue of a 1-0 defeat of Azerbaijan in October and won all three elite-round games by a single goal, and the coach is urging his squad to keep things in perspective. "Let's not get carried away by our perfect run in Slovakia," Vokolos told UEFA.com. "We'll have a tough job in the finals as our rivals are all very strong. Our main goal is to play our best and to enjoy participating in the tournament."

Qualifying round: Georgia 0-1, Azerbaijan 1-0, Portugal 1-1 (Group 3 runners-up)

Elite round: Slovakia 2-1, France 2-1, Belarus 1-0 (Group 3 winners)

Key players
Charis Mavrias (midfielder, Panathinaikos FC), Kostas Fortounis (attacking midfielder, Asteras Tripolis FC), Giannis Potouridis (defender, Olympiacos FC), Kostas Fortounis (attacking midfielder, 1. FC Kaiserslautern)

Coach: Leonidas Vokolos

Date of birth: 31 August 1970
Playing career: Panionios GS, Panathinaikos FC, PAOK FC, Kallithea FC, APOP/Kinyras Peyias FC
Coaching career: Greece Under-17, Greece U19

A powerful central defender who won seven caps for Greece, Vokolos started his career as a 16-year-old in the youth ranks of Panionios, where he spent 12 years and won the Greek Cup in his final season before moving to Panathinaikos in 1998.

After five seasons with the Greens he was signed by PAOK and, after another brief spell at Kallithea and in Cyprus, he retired as a player and studied to become a coach. Vokolos was hired by the Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) to work in the youth teams, leading the Under-17s to the 2010 UEFA European Championship in Liechtenstein before this year's U19 success.

His strong point is his relationship with the players, the coach telling UEFA.com: "I never pressure them for the result. It's something I detested as a player and I won't do it to my pupils at such a tender age. I do pressure them, however, to give it their best, to expect a lot from themselves. I want them to be satisfied with their effort at the end of a match."

Team facts

Qualifying top scorer
Apostolos Vellios: 2

UEFA European Under-19 Championship best
Runners-up: 2007

Honours in UEFA youth competitions
UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Runners-up: 1985