England Preview

England will be hoping to secure their third win at this level in Sweden after crashing out at the semi-final stage on penalties, to eventual winners Holland, last time around.

Former England international, Stuart Pearce, is the coach of the Young Lions, and he has an experienced squad to call upon.

Star-player in Sweden will be Theo Walcott (pictured and video). The lightning-quick Arsenal winger, who scored a hat-trick against Croatia for the senior team, has been borrowed from the senior squad for the Championships. He will be playing in a front-three alongside fellow speedsters Gabriel Agbonlahor and Frazier Campbell.

Another player to look out for are James Milner. The Aston Villa midfielder will be expected to provide the chances for the strikers with his crossing ability.

Manchester City duo, Nedum Onuoha and Micah Richards, meanwhile, will provide steel and pace at the back.

England have a balanced squad and will be expecting to qualify for the semi-finals where they will hope the same fate will not befall them as in 2007.

Photo Credit: Rob TM

Germany Preview

Germany have never won the under-21 European Championships and they will hope to progress from a tough group which also includes Spain, England and Finland.

The Germans will boast four players with senior caps and players to watch out for include Marko Marin, Mesut Ozil (see video) and Sami Khedira. But 6ft 4ins Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng could be their most valuable player if they are to challenge for the title.

At the other end of the height scale, Marin at 5ft 7ins, will be hoping to impress upfront. The Borussia Monchengladbach forward is a tricky customer and he will be looking to unlock defences in Group B.

Stuttgart's Sami Khedira (pictured) will hope to dominate in midfield. The classy midfielder also weighs in with his fair share of goals.

Germany will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals but it remains to be seen whether they can go the whole way for the first time in their history at this level.

Photo Credit: -bast-

Finland Preview

With European heavyweights Germany, Spain and England in their group, Finland will be the outsiders to progress to the semi-finals, but with a good team spirit, they may just spring a surprise or two.

Tim Sparv, the Halmstads midfielder will be hoping to beat his ex-Southampton teammate, Theo Walcott when the Finns face England in their first group game in his home stadium. The midfielder is arguably their biggest talent within this group of players.

Other players to watch out for include Jussi Vassara in midfield and the lively Teemu Pukki upfront (see video).

Finland will have nothing to lose and they may just be able to knock-out one of the favourites with their team spirit and work rate.

Spain Preview

Spanish football is in rude health at the moment. After winning the European Championships in 2008, Barcelona recently lifted the Champions League and Real Madrid have now broken the transfer world-record fee twice within a week.

Football at Under-21 level is also thriving. This team were the only team to win all eight of their qualifying games for this tournament and they will be looking to continue their good form in Sweden.

Bojan Krkic has been making waves at the Camp Nou in the past couple of years. Making his debut for Barca at the age of 17 he recently helped his team to their Champions League triumph despite not playing in the final. Bojan is a potent finisher at youth international level and he made his debut for the senior squad in their game against Armenia last September.

Diego Capel is also one to watch out for. The Sevilla winger has attracted interest from a number of top European clubs with his impressive performances for the Andalusian outfit. A left-winger with skill and pace he will be the provider for Bojan.

With a team unit, flair and experience Spain will be hoping to lift the trophy come June 29th.

Photo Credit: Superleague formula: thebeautifulrace

Serbia Preview

Serbia surprised many when they made the final last year, losing to hosts Holland.

The eastern-Europeans will be hoping to progress to the semi-finals at least again this year in Sweden.

Manchester United saw enough potential in Zoran Tosic to sign him from Partizan Belgrade and the young winger is seen as a natural replacement for Ryan Giggs. With Cristiano Ronaldo leaving for Real Madrid he may get more options next season if he excels here.

Gojko Kacar (see video) is also a key component in Serbia's team. The defensive midfielder made headlines when he scored five goals in one game during qualifying in their 8-0 win over Hungary. The midfielder finished as Serbia's highest scorer in the qualifying stages with six goals.

Serbia may not be on of the fancied nations such as Spain, Germany, Italy or England but a final appearance last time and a solid team once again this year show that they can go one better this year.

Belarus Preview

Along with Finland, Belarus are regarded as the outsiders for the tournament but that is no bad thing.

With a relatively unknown team there will be a strong emphasis on the 'team' rather than individuals. There are however some talented players in the squad which would hope to emulate Alexsandr Hleb (pictured). The Barcelona man played in the tournament in 2004.

Sergei Kryvets is seen as their best hope for glory. The BATE Borisov midfielder has Champions League experience.

Cagliari midfielder, Mikhail Sivakov will also be hoping to impress in the tournament.

Belarus may be seen as the outsiders in Group A, but the 2004 team showed, when they beat Italy, they are capable of an upset.

Photo Credit- Rob TM

Italy Preview

Italy look to have another promising group of young players coming through. Manged by former Chelsea, Lazio and Juventus striker Pierluigi Casiraghi, the young azzuri, the azzurrini, will be hoping to add to their five trophies at this level.

Their star man is Sebastian Giovinco (see video). The tricky Juventus forward is hoping to add to burgeoning reputation in Italy after some impressive performances in the Olympic team in Beijing last year where he scored three goals in ten appearances.

Another player to look out for is potent finisher, Robert Aquafresca of Inter who had bought out the remainder of his contract after he scored 14 goals in 36 appearances this season for Cagliari.

Mario Balotelli (pictured) is also one to look out for. The leggy Inter-man will take up a wide berth in the side providing ammunition for Giovinco and Aquafresca.

With a solid midfield and defence, and a forward line which is arguably the best in the tournament, the azzurrini could be picking-up their sixth Under-21 European Championship crown in Sweden.

Photo Credit: Segnaleorario

Sweden Preview

The hosts will be hoping they can emulate the Netherlands who won in their own back-yard last time around.

As hosts they have not had to qualify for the tournament which has meant that they have not played a competitive game at this level for eighteen months.

Their star player is arguably Markus Berg (see video) who plies his trade at Dutch club FC Groningen. The striker scored 17 league goals this season making him top scorer for the whole of the Eredivisie.

Other players to look-out for are PSV Striker Ola Toivonen and AIK Stockholm left-winger Gabriel Özkan.

With an opening game against Belarus, the Swedes will hope to make a positive start. Making it through to the semi-finals would be a good tournament for them, although with vociferous home support, they could go all the way.