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Netherlands tasked with holding off England
Germany are through to the UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-finals and a draw against the hosts in Jena this afternoon would ensure the Netherlands join them – but England have not given up hope of pipping the Jong Oranje to second place.
Deficit
England, following a 4-0 loss to Germany on Saturday, trail the Netherlands by three points. They not only have to beat eliminated Turkey in Gotha but also hope the Netherlands lose and overturn their goal difference deficit of five. However, defeat for England and it will be Turkey who join Germany and the Netherlands in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria this autumn.
Response
"Reflecting back on Saturday it was a tough result for us to take," England manager John Peacock told uefa.com. "We've had a long chat with the players individually and they're a lot clearer in their minds about what needs to be done and they're positive so I'm delighted about that. We definitely want to make sure we go out on a high, if we do go out, with World Cup qualification there ready to take. And then we'd like to get the second bit, the semi-finals, and that's not dead and buried."
Gökhan returns
Peacock, without suspended striker Jose Baxter, is hoping that midfielders Jonjo Shelvey and Ryan Tunnicliffe can recover from knocks. Turkey coach Abdullah Ercan will have Chelsea FC playmaker Gökhan Töre back from the suspension that kept him out of the 2-1 loss to the Netherlands which ended their hopes. Striker Muhammet Demir started that game despite his knee problem and Ercan admitted: "These are two important players for our team and we have not been able to use them fully in the two matches. It gives a message to our players; if you have a chance, you should force yourself to continue. It is up to them if they wish to make the most of their chance."
Dutch aim
The Netherlands will aim to ensure England's result is irrelevant to the semi-final shake-up but will have to be content with a crowd similar to the 8,500 that cheered on Germany at the Ernst-Abbe Sportfeld on Saturday. Coach Albert Stuivenberg has not been fully satisfied with the performances so far despite four points, and said: "We have to do better, we want to play better football in the next match." He fielded an unchanged starting lineup against Turkey in hot conditions and added: "It was a very tough game for us. They need their strength back."
German focus
It is simpler for Germany coach Marco Pezzaiuoli but although they know they will play in Friday's semi-finals he does not want any let-up against the Netherlands. "We have been very good in defence and scored at the right moments," he said. "We need to keep our concentration in the next game, we want to win it. It is not an easy game, the Netherlands qualified well, they won their group with nine points and eight unanswered goals. It is important not to be too lax and lose concentration before the semi-final." Christopher Buchtmann, who has scored one and made four of Germany's seven goals so far, is suspended.
Germany are through to the UEFA European Under-17 Championship semi-finals and a draw against the hosts in Jena this afternoon would ensure the Netherlands join them – but England have not given up hope of pipping the Jong Oranje to second place.
Deficit
England, following a 4-0 loss to Germany on Saturday, trail the Netherlands by three points. They not only have to beat eliminated Turkey in Gotha but also hope the Netherlands lose and overturn their goal difference deficit of five. However, defeat for England and it will be Turkey who join Germany and the Netherlands in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria this autumn.
Response
"Reflecting back on Saturday it was a tough result for us to take," England manager John Peacock told uefa.com. "We've had a long chat with the players individually and they're a lot clearer in their minds about what needs to be done and they're positive so I'm delighted about that. We definitely want to make sure we go out on a high, if we do go out, with World Cup qualification there ready to take. And then we'd like to get the second bit, the semi-finals, and that's not dead and buried."
Gökhan returns
Peacock, without suspended striker Jose Baxter, is hoping that midfielders Jonjo Shelvey and Ryan Tunnicliffe can recover from knocks. Turkey coach Abdullah Ercan will have Chelsea FC playmaker Gökhan Töre back from the suspension that kept him out of the 2-1 loss to the Netherlands which ended their hopes. Striker Muhammet Demir started that game despite his knee problem and Ercan admitted: "These are two important players for our team and we have not been able to use them fully in the two matches. It gives a message to our players; if you have a chance, you should force yourself to continue. It is up to them if they wish to make the most of their chance."
Dutch aim
The Netherlands will aim to ensure England's result is irrelevant to the semi-final shake-up but will have to be content with a crowd similar to the 8,500 that cheered on Germany at the Ernst-Abbe Sportfeld on Saturday. Coach Albert Stuivenberg has not been fully satisfied with the performances so far despite four points, and said: "We have to do better, we want to play better football in the next match." He fielded an unchanged starting lineup against Turkey in hot conditions and added: "It was a very tough game for us. They need their strength back."
German focus
It is simpler for Germany coach Marco Pezzaiuoli but although they know they will play in Friday's semi-finals he does not want any let-up against the Netherlands. "We have been very good in defence and scored at the right moments," he said. "We need to keep our concentration in the next game, we want to win it. It is not an easy game, the Netherlands qualified well, they won their group with nine points and eight unanswered goals. It is important not to be too lax and lose concentration before the semi-final." Christopher Buchtmann, who has scored one and made four of Germany's seven goals so far, is suspended.
