Italy enter the UEFA European Under 21 Championship as the country with the maximum wins in the history of the cup. Last year in Portugal the Italian side failed to get past the group stages much to the dismay of their fans. However with new coach Pierluigi Casiraghi at the helm, the Italy team looks fresh and rejuvenated enough to mount a challenge for an unprecedented sixth UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Italy face Serbia in their opener followed by a tight game with England before entering into their final clash on June 17 against the Czech Republic. Alessandro Rosina is the man to watch out for in the Italian side. Fans lovingly call this giant 'Rosinaldo' simply because his style of football appears to be closely matched with the Brazilian flair and technique.

Italy have a good team in that players are all experienced at club level. Alberto Aquilani is another player to watch out for. Coach Pierluigi Casiraghi has molded a great team together and it will not surprise anyone should the Italians go on to lift their record sixth title on June 26.

For the Czech Republic this is their first appearance in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship following their win in 2002 after heroics from Petr Cech. However the team is best with injuries and on paper looks unlikely to pose a strong challenge for the bigger teams.

But they managed to hold a mighty England team in their first game and if they do win their second one against Serbia, the Czech Republic could still spring a surprise or two in this tournament. England failed to capitalize on a late penalty awarded to Leroy Lita and the Czech Republic gratefully accepted the point, which keeps their hopes still alive. Their final game against Italy could still be a decider on who goes through from Group B.