Scotland were drawn in Group A alongside Portugal, Belgium and the hosts at today’s draw in Baku.

The 16-team competition gets under way on Thursday, 5th May, with the final being played on Saturday, 21st May.

Scotland have now qualified for three of the last three under-17 finals under Gemmill, having only qualified once previously, back in 2008.

Gemmill said: “It’s an interesting draw for us, especially having drawn Azerbaijan.

“I don’t know anything about their team at the moment, but as the hosts, I know they will be highly motivated.”

The group winners and runners-up both will advance to the last eight and Gemmill believes his team have every chance of progressing beyond the group stages.

He said: “I don’t think there is any one favourite for the group – all the teams have a chance of making the quarter-finals and that will be our primary goal.

“We reached the semi-finals of this competition back in 2014 so know that anything is possible.

“This is a great opportunity for our players to test themselves against the best in their age group and it will be a fantastic challenge for them.”

2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship draw

Group A: Azerbaijan, Portugal, Belgium, Scotland

Group B: Ukraine, Germany, Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Group C: France (holders), Denmark, England, Sweden

Group D: Italy, Serbia, Netherlands, Spain

Full fixture details, including coverage on Eurosport, will be confirmed soon.