Gareth Southgate: England U21s are ready to go

The Three Lions face Portugal in their opening game of the Finals in Czech Republic on Thursday evening.

And after all of the talking in the build-up to the competition, the head coach and his players now want to get down to business.

"They’re all keen to get on with it," said Southgate. 

"We’ve been really pleased with how the preparation has gone in terms of understanding the problems that Portugal might cause and the areas that we’ve got to exploit.

"It’s two very good teams and should be an excellent match, so it’s an opportunity for the lads to show what they can do on a big stage.

"We know we have really good options and this is a high quality game because Portugal are a quality side."

There is a degree of familiarity between the sides, having faced off in a friendly at Burnley’s Turf Moor in November 2014.

England ran out as 3-1 winners on that occasion, but Southgate believes his squad are well-versed in what to expect when they go toe-to-toe in a competitive fixture.

"We’ve played them already in November and they’ve got players to come back, as have we. We recognise that it’s a great challenge for us," he explained.

"We know they’re a very strong squad and Rui [Jorge, Portugal head coach] is very pleased with the group that he has.

England defender Luke Garbutt in action against Portugal last November

"He thinks they’re an exceptional group of players and we agree, we think it will be a really outstanding game in terms of the quality of play that’s on view.

"We think it’s a great challenge and we highly respect Portuguese football, we know the individuals that they’ve produced and outstanding teams at youth level as well so for us, it’s a great incentive to try and win the game.

"We look forward to the challenge of playing against them and we know there are several Portuguese players that can pose problems if we don’t defend well or manage the game well."

Having qualified for the Finals in such impressive style over the past 20 months, Southgate says his side have no reason to change the way they play.

And with victories against strong sides such as Portugal, Germany and Czech Republic in their preparation games, there is a confidence around the squad.

Southgate believes his players are ready for the challenge they face against Portugal on Thursday

"We have picked players to play a certain way and we will stick with that," he added.

"We don’t want to change our style or philosophy and we’re very conscious that Portugal are a big threat in transition and on the counter attack.

"You’ve always got to play well without the ball, but in terms of when we have it, we’ve picked the players that we have.

"The biggest thing for us is mentality and we’ve got to be able to show a game intelligence in the set-backs we have. How we handle those is key to progressing.

"Everybody wants to win their first game, it’s a clear objective, but the key for us is that everything we’ve done up to this point has been what we want it to be in terms of preparation.

"We know our players will play well, but in any game of football it is fine margins which determine results.

"But we believe in the group, who have tremendous belief and character."