First steps towards U21 finals

Three games
Romania and Finland have the honour of getting the latest edition under way at the Mogosoaia stadium in Bucharest in Group 1, with Slovakia and Luxembourg meeting in Senec in Group 3 later the same night. Two other Group 1 contenders come face to face on Wednesday evening when F.Y.R. Macedonia play Armenia in Skopje.

September start
The competition begins in earnest on 3 September when 16 qualifying games are played, making it even more important for the sides in action this week to make a solid start to their campaigns.

Finns miss out
None of the six managed to reach the 2004 finals in Germany, with Finland coming the closest by finishing third behind Italy and Serbia and Montenegro in qualifying Group 9. The Finns were eight points off a play-off place, however, and will need a dramatic improvement this time round.

Strong squad
Romania represent a stern test, with Nicolae Manea's team viewed by many as one of the best of the last ten years. The coach has a number of highly-rated players at his disposal, including FC Internazionale forward Ianis Zicu, FC Nantes Atlantique midfield player Claudiu Keseru and defender Gabriel Tamas, who plays his club football in Russia with FC Spartak Moskva and has already represented the senior side.

Senior standard
With Marius Constantin, Andrei Cristea and Razvan Cocis also available, the future looks bright for the Romanians, who are missing only FC Sheriff goalkeeper Sebastian Hutan. It is a long-term target that Manea has in mind, though: "Our role is clear; to prepare players for the national team. Of course, I don't know what our results will be, but I can guarantee that several players will become regulars in the A team."

Kujala confidence
Markku Kanerva took over from Kari Ukkonen as Finland coach, and captain Jussi Kujala is in confident mood. "The first match is always very important, because it shows how your tournament is going to shape up," he said. "Our group is tough, but I believe we can get good results and aim for the top two. Our team may not have any real stars, but we certainly have a lot of quality players."

Qualifying disappointments
Slovakia and Luxembourg were both a long way off the pace in their respective qualifying groups for the 2004 finals. The Slovakians collected only six points – both against F.Y.R. Macedonia who finished bottom of the section – in Group 7. Luxembourg, meanwhile, lost all eight Group 2 games, conceding 31 goals and failing to score.

Coaching change
Armenia also looked up at the rest in Group 6, although they did defeat Northern Ireland and claim creditable draws against Ukraine and Greece. Consequently coach Vardan Minasyan, who only took charge last week and will combine this role with his duties as coach of FC Pyunik, will seek to make an immediate impact as he settles into his position.

Campaign unfolds
All six teams who kick off their campaigns this week will draw inspiration from past disappointments as they aim to make a positive start as the first steps are taken along the road to the 2006 finals.