European giants Germany are bracketed among the top contenders before every tournament, whatever the level, but their U-17 coach, Christian Wuck, sees no favourites in a group also containing Switzerland, Portugal and Scotland.
“The teams in Group B are very similar,” Wuck said.
“There are no favourites in my opinion. We know Switzerland, Portugal and Scotland well. They all have good individual players and sound tactical organisation.
“Over the past few years, the smaller teams have edged closer to the big nations.
“For me, England are the tournament’s favourites. We have played against them two or three times and they are very strong.”
Wuck said Germany have been building up for this tournament for the past 18 months.
All members of the Germany squad are on the books of Bundesliga clubs and Wuck reckons that, in two years’ time, five to six of them will play for the first team at club level.
Like Germany, Portugal have a rich tradition in youth football and their current U-17 coach, Peixe, hopes that his team live up to this reputation.
“Our objective is to project a good image of our game and demonstrate the qualities of our players,” Peixe said.
“Last but not least, we want our players to enjoy the championship and the atmosphere.”
Asked if any of his protégés have the potential to become star players like Cristiano Ronaldo and former stalwards like Luis Figo and Rui Costa, Peixe replied: “We have some good players in our squad but I don’t have a crystal ball. My players have had a very good qualifying campaign.”
Scott Gemmill, the Scotland U-17 coach, has a lot of confidence in his team.
“We have a lot of belief in this squad,” Gemmill said.
“In the qualifiers, we have played against some great teams and players and this tournament in Malta will be similar.”
Gemmill is also pleased with his players’ development as some have already been called up to the Scotland U-19 squad while striker Craig Wighton is already part of the first-team squad at Dundee.
Asked if the level of facilities and organisation in Malta have met his expectations, Gemmill said: “The local people have made us very welcome.
“We are very pleased with the level of organisation so far.”
Swiss record
Switzerland are not one of the biggest nations in Europe but they have an excellent record at this level. They won the U-17 Championship in 2002 and the U-17 World Cup in 2009.
It says all about Switzerland’s strength that they have progressed from an elite round group containing Spain and holders Russia.
“The qualifying campaign was tough for us,” Bertrand Choffat, Switzerland’s assistant coach, said.
“In the first tournament, we had Denmark and Austria. In the elite round, we were in the same group as Spain and Russia.
“It was very difficult but winning against Spain showed that our players have good technical qualities.”