Irish under-21s face tough task to reach finals after drawing Italy and Serbia

The Irish under-21s will kick-off their European Championship qualifying campaign with a home game against Andorra next month but the real challenge in what looks to be a tough group will be to get results from the encounters with Italy and Serbia later this year and in 2016.

Italy are five times European champions at this level and, like Serbia, are competing in this year’s finals. The Serbs currently have the more formidable record despite only being second seeds, with the country finishing as runners-up to Germany in last summer’s finals and beating France the year before to lift the title.

"It's obviously a tough draw," says Ireland manager Noel King, "because Serbia are European champions at the 1994 age group so the second seed is as strong as any top seed. Italy will always be at top seed level.

“Having said that, there is no team in the group that I wouldn’t have a realistic ambition of getting something from. We took four points from six with Italy when we played them with the 1990 age group so it shows we can take points from them, but I’m sure they’ll be just as aware of that fact as we are.”

Ireland, who will be attempting to qualify for the event for the very first time, will face the Serbs in back to back games at the end of a programme that also includes meetings with Slovenia and Lithuania. The group winners qualify automatically while the four leading runners-up will progress to play-offs. The finals will take place in Poland in 2017.

Ireland’s fixtures – March 26th: Andorra (h); September 8th: Andorra (a); October 9th: Lithuania (h); October 13th: Italy (a); November 13th: Lithuania (a).

2016 – March 24th: Italy (h); March 28th: Slovenia (a); September 2nd: Slovenia (h); September 6th: Serbia (a); October 7th: Serbia (h).