Dutch face German test

A year after a dramatic comeback took the Netherlands past Germany and into the UEFA European Under-17 Championship - where they reached the final - the two nations meet again in Elite round Group 1, starting on Friday.

Kaiser back
This time the Dutch are hosts, with Northern Ireland and Finland also bidding for a place in Luxembourg. Wim Koevermans guided the Netherlands through the qualifying round unbeaten against Denmark, Slovenia and Belarus, but Ruud Kaiser is now back in charge, having been away in the autumn leading last season's squad to third place at the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru.

Mixed form
Vurnon Anita is one survivor from that side. He played a big part in last year's run - with the Netherlands trailing Germany 2-1, he equalised with five minutes to go before his team claimed a last-minute winner - and remains a key man, having starred at the recent Algarve Cup. In Portugal, the Netherlands drew 2-2 with the hosts and 1-1 against France - having gone ahead in both matches - before losing 1-0 to the Republic of Ireland in a physical game that both sides finished with ten men.

Wijnaldum promoted
With striker Imad Azaoum injured, Feyenoord's Georginio Wijnaldum has been promoted from the U16s. Kaiser was not disheartened by the Algarve results. "For me, it was preparation for Elite round qualification and I was able to try out certain players at the highest level," he said. "That is much more important. Some did well, others less so, but that will help me a lot with the final selection."

Strong Germans
However, if Kaiser's boys are to repeat their exploits of last May, they must beat a Germany team considered the best at any age group in their country. They have won all eight fixtures this season, scoring 33 goals and conceding just three. Their qualifying round feat of 16 goals without reply in wins against the Faroe Islands, San Marino and Portugal was unrivalled in any pool, and coach Bernd Stöber is quietly confident. "I believe we can play an important role," he said.

Victory the aim
German success has been built on a three-man spine. Goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler from Manchester United FC is the only overseas-based player, while the defence is marshalled by captain Björn Kopplin of FC Bayern München. FC Hansa Rostock's Toni Kroos controls the midfield despite being a year younger than his team-mates. Stöber judges the tournament "above all as an education" but victory is still his aim. "We want to get through, otherwise we shouldn't be taking part," he said.

Finnish hopes
Finland, like Germany, won their qualifying round section, overcoming Slovakia and Greece and drawing with Bosnia-Herzegovina on home soil. Since then Kimmo Lipponen's charges played in the La Manga tournament, losing 4-1 to Belgium and 1-0 to the Czech Republic, but holding Norway 1-1. Lipponen said: "We have come this far by winning the qualifying group and certainly we are aiming for the finals. It's a tough group and I believe every team will drop points." HJK Helsinki provide eight of the 18-strong squad, and their midfielder Valeri Minkenen is one to watch along with FC KooTeePee striker Teemu Pukki.

Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland are hoping to match their achievement of 2004, when they made the final tournament, but a recent 1-0 friendly reverse against Luxembourg gave them food for thought. In qualifying, they defeated Malta and Lithuania before succumbing to Serbia and Montenegro, but begin their campaign here against Germany as the Finns face the Dutch - who meet the Germans two days later.

Additional reporting by Lukas Wachten & Mikael Erävuori