England's Patrick Roberts has warned Portugal that he's ready to shoot them down ahead of the UEFA European U17 Championship semi-final.
The two nations meet at the National Stadium in Ta'Qali on Sunday afternoon with a place in the final against Scotland or Holland up for grabs.And despite a disappointing defeat in their final group match that left the squad "hurting", Roberts admits he is buzzing ahead of the last-four clash.
England v Portugal
UEFA Euro U17 Championship
Semi-Final
4.45pm BST, Sunday 18 May 2014
National Stadium, Ta'Qali, Malta
The Fulham forward said: "I'm buzzing for it.
"It's a Euro semi-final against Portugal and it's going to be a massive game.
"We've played them a few times now and we know what sort of test awaits us. They will be quick and powerful - we've watched all their games on TV and know all about their qualities.
"But every team that qualified for this tournament were going to be good. Germany, Holland, Scotland, Switzerland are all good teams, but we are down to the last four now. We came with the goal of winning this competition and that remains the same - no matter who we play."
The 2-0 defeat against Holland was a bitter blow for the Young Lions says Roberts, but he believes they will learn from their mistakes.
The 17-year-old added: “We just didn't start very well against Holland and they punished us. They are a very good side, passed the ball around well, but we knew it was going to be a tough test.
"We tried to stick to the same game plan that we had against Malta and Turkey, but we were unable to, and they deservedly took the three points.
"The first goal was a ‘worldie’ and [goalkeeper] Sam Howes could do nothing about that. The second was a set-piece, which could have been avoided, but they were a lot quicker on the day."
And speaking of 'worldies', Roberts is capable of producing one or two of his own. He has been instrumental in helping John Peacock's side qualify from the group.
He scored two and created the other as England defeated Malta in their opening game, then he created three of the goals in the 4-1 win over Turkey that secured their passage into the semi-finals.
Roberts' performances have certainly caught the imagination of the Maltese public, with the livewire attacker receiving plenty of attention after each training session.
And the youngster is certainly enjoying his experience on the island.
He said: "The Malta game is right up there with the best for me. My second goal was the best I've scored. It was similar to the one I got against Armenia in qualifying - which was my previous best - but this one has overtook that to number one as it was in a European Championship.
"Scoring against the host nation, in our opening game, was great and helped to take away a lot of tension. I was just glad to be able to help the team get off to a good start but the backing I've received since from the locals has been incredible.
“I'm enjoying every second of it out here."
He said, however, that he's not ready to rest on laurels just yet. The confident Roberts finished with a warning for the Portuguese defence.
He added: "My confidence is flying now and this is the perfect stage for me. Left foot, right foot, my confidence is everywhere - even my heading. I just want to get out there now, I really can't wait until kick-off.
"I want to fire England into the final and I'll be doing everything possible to achieve that."
England v Portugal is live on Eurosport from 4.45pm. Follow @FA on Twitter for updates
