England U21 manager Gareth Southgate has said that he is expecting a tough campaign in the European Championships later this year.
While England usually lag way behind the elite teams in the world at senior level, the Three Lions are being considered strong contenders to claim the U21 European Championships which will be held in the Czech Republic.
Despite the tag, manager Southgate has gone on to state that he is expecting a tough campaign in Eastern Europe, due to the presence of a lot of fierce competitors and added that there will be no easy matches for his side during the competition.
Southgate said: "The players have got a lot of belief in their ability. We have picked some tough matches and they are there to test us and stretch us. The result the other night was good, but there were things we could have done better. It was great to come through the last ten minutes under a lot of pressure and hold on and that will boost their confidence.
"The eight teams in the finals this summer are all very strong. I don't see any teams being any weaker than the others, although they are all pretty different in the way they play the game. Portugal were very good when we played them last year, the Czech Republic were strong and the same goes for Germany. There will be no easy matches in the finals at all."
