Dinis wary of familiar foes

Familiarity will certainly not breed contempt for coach Carlos Dinis as he makes ready to mastermind Portugal's campaign at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Poland.

Knowledge gleaned
The Portuguese, finalists in this competition in Liechtenstein in 2003, will take on neighbours Spain, Turkey and Scotland in Group B in Poland, and know exactly what to expect from the two former teams. Both Spain and Turkey joined Portugal in the European U17 Championship two years ago, and Dinis had further opportunity to examine those opponents at close quarters in 2005 when the pair joined forces with France and Portugal to help Europe retain the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup.

'Hard opponents'
Those studies have bred a healthy respect for Dinis, who acknowledges that his team will face a considerable challenge in Poland but has certainly done his homework on their three opponents. "First we face Scotland, and I know they are very strong and play physical football," he told uefa.com. "Our second opponents are Turkey and they are a very good team. They were amazing in last year's Meridian Cup and I am sure they will be very hard opponents again."

Spanish excellence
The first two matches precede an Iberian derby with two-time winners Spain but Dinis is hoping his side will already have the security of two victories behind them before the game in Pobiedziska. "The match against Spain could be decisive but we hope that it won't be. Spain have a great team - they always have good young teams. I think that we have been drawn in the most difficult group, but our main goal remains pretty much the same."

World ambition
That initial ambition is to finish in the top three in the section to ensure a place in next year's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. "The main goal is World Cup qualification," said Dinis, who led Portugal's 2003 team to the final, where they lost 2-0 to Italy. "Of course we want to impress in the European Championship and we will try to do our best. It will be a tough competition as all the best European teams will be there."

Short bursts
As they are held in the second half of July the U19 finals often present coaches with a dilemma as they generally take place when the players would be beginning pre-season training with their respective clubs. Dinis, however, is keen to work round this problem, explaining: "This is a challenging time of year for us as lots of players are either on vacation or finishing their championships. However, we will try to manage the situation and ensure short periods of training as there are tired players."

Invaluable experience
Dinis has a number of experienced players at his disposal and the coach believes their know-how could prove invaluable. "Players like João Pedro, Paulo Renato, André Marques, Bruno Gama and Hélder Barbosa are certainly all valuable to this team as they all are very experienced at this level," he added. "We will work hard in preparation for the tournament and approach the games calmly and with the will to win every single match." Portugal's opponents have certainly been warned.