Scot Gemmill says Azerbaijan will provide Scotland with interesting opposition when the sides meet at this year’s UEFA European Under-17 Championship Finals.
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.