Germany the team to beat in finals

Winners of the first two stagings of the UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship, holders Germany will be challenged by Spain, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland in the third final tournament when it begins on Tuesday.

Like both previous editions, the event is played as a four-team knockout at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, opposite UEFA headquarters in Switzerland. Last year Spain lost 7-0 to Germany in the final and the 2009 runners-up kick off proceedings this time around with their semi-final against the Netherlands, who will aim to go one better than their senior and U19 sides, who both fell at this stage in their European Championships in the last 12 months.

In the second semi-final on Tuesday evening, Germany – who like the Netherlands have never lost a game since this competition was introduced – meet the Republic of Ireland, making their debut in a women's final tournament at any level. The final, shown live on Eurosport, is on Saturday afternoon followed by the third-place play-off, which will decide who will join the top two in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago from 5 to 25 September.

Admission to all Women's U17 finals matches will be free. The tournament ambassadors are Swiss international defender Johan Djourou and Switzerland's women's player of the year for 2010, Caroline Abbé, who will both attend Saturday's action.