Norway hoping for success

Liverpool FC and Norway's John Arne Riise and Norway Under-19 vice-captain Kristian Onstad believe that the hosts can go far in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Riise speaks
Riise, who conducted today's tournament draw in the Ullevål stadium in Oslo told uefa.com: "I think they [Norway] have a good young squad. I've seen them play some games and playing at home is going to be a big advantage. Maybe they can even win the tournament."

Spain favourites
Norway will tackle Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Riise was in no doubt who the strongest threat will be to the hosts. "Spain are the big favourites, always," he said. "It's a tough group but if they [Norway] get a good start who knows."

'You learn a lot'
Riise, who himself came through the Norwegian youth ranks, also stressed how important competitions such as the Under-19 championship can be for developing the stars of tomorrow. "It's very important," he said. "You play with the best young players from your countries and play against the best young players from other countries. You learn a lot."

Back to training
However, Riise will not be able to attend any of the games in the tournament, which runs from 21-28 July. "I'm back training on 10 July but I'm going to watch it on television and hopefully Norway can go all the way," he said. "It's not that often that we have a European tournament in Norway and I'm sure the fans will turn out to support it."

'Something extra'
Meanwhile, Onstad was positive about the draw - and the benefits of playing at home. "Spain are a tough team," the 18-year-old SFK Lyn defender told uefa.com. "But I think Slovakia and the Czech Republic are teams it is possible to beat. So everything is looking good. Plus the audience will mostly be Norwegians so that will give us something extra."

Ullevål dream
Turning to potential rivals later in the tournament, Onstad said: "England and Germany look strong in Group B, but then Republic of Ireland have beat both France and Netherlands as well." Onstad also revealed that it would be a dream to reach the final, which will be played at the Ullevål, home to his club. "I would like that very, very much," he said.