[U19] Euro 2010 Draw

Italy's Under-19s have been handed a tough group for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Finals after the draw was made in Caen today.

The Azzurrini, who return to the finals after missing out in 2009 in Ukraine, will face four-time champions Spain, Portugal and Croatia in the group stage.

The summer tournament, which will be played in five different French cities, will take place between 18 and 30 July.

The hosts France are in Group A with England, the Netherlands and Austria.

Massimo Piscedda's Italy sealed their qualification for the final competition last month when they progressed through the Elite Round with victories over the Czech Republic and Northern Ireland, before losing to mini-tournament hosts Russia. Last November, the Azzurrini had to progress past Albania and San Marino in the Qualifying Round along with the Republic of Ireland.

Italy will open the final tournament against Portugal - the side they beat in the 2003 final - on Sunday 18 July. They will then play tournament debutants Croatia on Wednesday 21 July, before concluding the group stage against Spain three days later.

The top two teams from each group will go through to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for Tuesday 27 July. The Final will be played in Caen on Friday 30 July. The six sides which finish in the top three in each group will also progress to the 2011 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Colombia.

2009-10 UEFA EUROPEAN UNDER-19 CHAMPIONSHIPS
> Final Tournament (in France)
18 to 30 July 2010.
Group A: France, Netherlands, Austria & England.
Group B: Croatia, Spain, Italy & Portugal.

Group Fixtures
Sunday 18 July
Austria v England (Flers, 1700)
France v Netherlands (Caen, 1900)
Croatia v Spain (Bayeux, 1500)
Italy v Portugal (Mondeville, 1500)
Wednesday 21 July
France v Austria (Flers, 1700)
Netherlands v England (Bayeux, 1700)
Croatia v Italy (Mondeville, 1500)
Spain v Portugal (Saint-Lo, 1400)
Saturday 24 July
England v France (Saint-Lo, 1700)
Netherlands v Austria (Mondeville, 1700)
Portugal v Croatia (Bayeux, 1500)
Spain v Italy (Flers, 1500)

Semi-Final Fixtures
Tuesday 27 July
Semi-final 1 (Saint-Lo, 1700)
Semi-final 2 (Caen, 1800)

Final
Friday 30 July
Final (Caen, 1800)

* All kick off times stated are UK time. +1hr for Italy, CET and local French time.

Source: UEFA