Peacock ready for German test

Germany v England
UEFA European U17 Championship
1pm (GMT), Saturday 9 May 2009
Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld Stadium, Jena
Live on Eurosport

England’s second group game of the UEFA European U17 Championship pits them against the hosts, Germany, and although Head Coach, John Peacock, is aware of the threat that will be posed by the Germans, he also knows that his charges are more than capable of claiming all three points.

England drew 1-1 with Holland on Wednesday in their Group B opener, while Germany began their Euro campaign with a 3-1 victory over Turkey. After supervising England’s deserved comeback against the Dutch, Peacock travelled to Erfurt to watch tomorrow’s opponents.

"Germany created six or seven good chances against Turkey," he reported.

"They’ve got some big players and some powerful runners, so we know they’ll be a threat. But we can take heart from the way we played against the Dutch, certainly after the opening 15-20 minutes, and we were definitely good value for at least a point.

"Germany have got a great tradition when it comes to international youth football, and they’ll no doubt be cheered on by a partisan home crowd, so we know it could be a difficult game.

"However, they will have watched our game against Holland and they will know that we’re a very good side ourselves. That was a game of very high quality, from both sides, and it was a great advert for youth football. The players were disappointed not to have claimed all three points on Wednesday and I think they’re now ready to kick on."

A win could put England top of Group B with just one match remaining, with the top two in each group going on to contest the Semi-Finals on 15 May. France, Italy, Switzerland and the holders, Spain, make up Group A with all four teams currently tied on a point each.

Saturday’s match between England and Germany will take place in the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld stadium in Jena and will be broadcast live on Eurosport. Kick-off 1pm (UK time).