Familarity breeds confidence for Gunnarsson

Three giant wind turbines are prominent in the skyline behind Iceland's training ground on the outskirts of Aalborg, yet the team will be driven by a different type of power when they take on Belarus in their opening UEFA European Under-21 Championship fixture on Saturday.

With 23 senior caps, Aron Gunnarsson is the most experienced international player of the 183 on duty in Denmark. Eight of his fellow squad members also have full honours, a familiarity that gives the Coventry City FC midfield player confidence going into the country's first such final tournament.

"It's good to have full national squad games on your back and there's a lot of international experience between us," Gunnarsson told UEFA.com. "We've got a few players here who have played a lot of games for the Under-21s, but the main thing is we've been together from Under-17s, Under-18s, Under-19s – we stick together and we know each other well and that's why we got through to the finals."

The 22-year-old arrives on the back of a third successive industrious campaign in England's second tier. He may have played a more advanced role in the season just past, yet it was as a midfield anchor – "the position I enjoy most" – that he made himself an instant hit with the Coventry faithful following his transfer from AZ Alkmaar.

Gunnarsson will therefore be charged with providing the platform for Iceland to play their attacking game on Saturday. He said: "We play the ball on the ground and try to play good football but we're hard workers as well, like players in all Scandinavian countries. Hopefully it will be good to watch."

Eye-catching football may not be enough, with Gunnarsson acknowledging that qualification has raised hopes back at home. "We know that people expect a lot of us because when Icelandic people get excited, they sometimes get overexcited. It's just part of it and we have to deal with it and hope we can please them, ourselves and the coach."

A winning start would no doubt help, although like Iceland – 4-1 conquerors of Germany in a group qualifier – Belarus showed their pedigree by overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit to eliminate Italy in the play-offs. "We've watched [DVDs of] Belarus in the last couple of days so we know how good they are," Gunnarsson said. "They beat Italy to get here and were in the last finals. They also start games brightly so it will be hard for us if we're not up for it ... but we will be."

As well as having a howitzer of a throw, Gunnarsson has a terrific leap to make him more accomplished in the air than his frame suggests – skills attributed to his grounding as a handball player. "When I was about 15 I had to concentrate on football so I stopped playing handball," he said. "I hope I've done well in choosing that sport."

That decision did not dash Gunnarsson's Olympic dream, however. There are three spots at next year's London Games on offer in Denmark alongside England, who will represent Great Britain. "It would be a great place to go to," concluded Gunnarsson. "The Olympics is the biggest sporting event of them all, but we'll see where we stand after a couple of games."