England v Germany
UEFA European U21 Championship Playoff
8pm, Friday 6 October 2006
Ricoh Arena, Coventry City FC
Live on Sky Sports

Friday's European Under-21 Championship play-off between England and Germany at Coventry City's 32,000-capacity Ricoh Arena has sold out today.

Watching with particular interest will be England Head Coach Steve McClaren, who is delighted by the response of the local fans: "It's a great tribute to the passion that English fans have for Under-21s football, and congratulations to the Coventry fans for their incredible response. No other country gets that level of support.

"Peter Taylor and the players deserve enormous credit for getting to the play-offs. They are a strong team and will be full of confidence going into this play-off.

"I see Under-21s football as a spring-board to senior level and will be following both play-off games closely. It would be fantastic if England could get through to the finals."

There was nothing to separate the two countries when they were drawn in the same qualifying group last year for the 2006 finals. A 2-2 thriller in Hull in was followed by a 1-1 draw in Mainz, and both coaches are expecting another close tie.

England Under-21s Coach Peter Taylor said: "It's fantastic news that we will be playing in front off a full house and one of the biggest-ever crowds for an Under-21s game. This is a massive game and it gives us all a boost knowing that we have that support behind us.

"English crowds create a truly special atmosphere and the Ricoh Arena is a perfect venue for a big night of football.

"We know we're in for a tough test against an excellent German team. It's always special against Germany - they are one of the great football nations and consistently produce outstanding teams at all levels. We'll have to be at our best to beat them.

"However, our confidence is high after beating a very strong Swiss team away, which showed that this group of players have both ability and character.

"Like us, Germany will have some players that played in the two games in 2005. From our point of view, we finished second in the group to them so we’d like to put one over them.”

Germany Under-21s Coach Dieter Eilts added: "England against Germany is always a football classic and our last two Under-21 games were both fiercely-fought matches. England are a top-quality team with some outstanding individuals, and we're expecting a passionate atmosphere in the stadium."

England followed a 2-2 draw at home to Moldova with a 3-2 win in Switzerland to top their three-team group, while Germany sealed qualification with a 3-2 win in Northern Ireland and a 5-1 thrashing of Romania. The seven play-off winners join hosts Holland in next June’s final tournament.

England have played Germany five times at Under-21 level since reunification, winning twice and drawing three times.