Start tonight --- England-Italy & Israel-Norway
Here's a few of the young kids to look out for:
Here's a few of the young kids to look out for:
Goalkeeper:
With the likes of David De Gea and Jack Butland already established top-flight keepers, we've opted for a left-field option in the shape of Italy's Francesco Bardi.
Bardi is owned by Milan giants Inter, but with first-team opportunities limited at the San Siro he has been out at Serie B side Novara to get some game-time and has been a key part of the best defence outside the two promoted clubs.
The 6ft 2in cat saw his side fail to be promoted through the playoffs, but his performances may well have earned him a loan to a Serie A club next season as he eyes the number one shirt with the Nerazzuri in the future.
Right back:Attacking full-backs are so key in the modern game, but Tony Jantschke offers something of a throwback with his indomitable spirit and surprisingly muscular performances.Just under 6ft in height, Jantschke is deceptively good in the air and excels in the defensive aspect of the game - an oft-forgotten art with the current trend for rampaging Dani-Alvesesque steam trains.Averaging nearly five tackles per game in the Europa League and slightly fewer in the Bundesliga with Borussia Moenchengladbach he is a reliable and tenacious defender.Just don't expect him to be overlapping and whipping crosses over.Centre backs:A nice mix of the beastly stopper and the cultured centre-half comprises our defensive pair.Lokomotiv Moscow's Taras Burlak is the fearsome partner, 6ft 3in of hulking Vladivostok defender and already capped in the senior Russian team.It can be tough to get into his club side with former Spurs and Man City defender Vedran Corluka increasingly moving inside to play centrally, as well as the experienced Roman Shishkin and Jan Durica.Still young enough to improve further, he'd make a suitable partner for Real Sociedad's Inigo Martinez.The young Spaniard has given strikers up and down Spain some of their toughest games, as he marshals them with physical strength and intelligence.He's dominant aerially, provides excellent coverage and is extremely talented when moving out of defence in possession.While a lack of pace is perceived as a weakness the increasing positional awareness he will gain through experience will undoubtedly help him become one of the continent's top centre backs.Left back:Bruno Martins Indi could just as easily have been central in this back four, but the Feyenoord defender's versatility and pace earn him a slot on the flank.Blessed with all the physical attributes necessary to be a top-class defender, the Portuguese-born defender also boasts a maturity beyond his years and nine senior Netherlands caps.The vultures are already circling, but the youngster is happy to stay at the Rotterdam club, for now.Central midfield:Let go by Arsenal, Havard Nordtveit has gone onto better things since leaving for Borussia Moenchengladbach, helping lift the club back into the Champions League before enjoying another strong season with the Foals this year.He's just the sort of player that the Gunners missed last year, with the capability to break up play and begin attacks from the base of midfield.In many ways, he's not to different to PSV Eindhoven's Kevin Strootman.Already a Manchester United target, Strootman is a brilliant deep-lying playmaker but also brilliant in the tackle, with no player in this season's Europa League making as many effective challenges per game as Strootman's 7.7. Attacking midfielders:Strootman's PSV teammate Georginio Wijnaldum is chosen as one of our wide tricksters, and like his fellow Dutchmen in this XI he has already made his senior international debut.His favoured role is a central position where he can be the 'number 10' but we'd use his goals from wide to maximise this team's strengths, with his 23 strikes in 65 PSV games marking him out as a more than useful performer.Valon Berisha is hardly a household name outside his native Norway or Austria, where he plies his trade, but the exciting midfielder is one of the most naturally talented players in this group, if he could just be harnessed.The very definition of a 'free spirit', the manager that gets hold of Berisha and makes him function in defence, as well as going forward, will have a sensational young playmaker on their hands, capable of moments of sublime magic.If he were flanked by young forward Lorenzo Insigne then the play may be so downright beautiful that football itself would implode.The Italian's twinkletoes helped him dazzle Serie B while on loan at Pescara, and parent club Napoli have earmarked him as the future of their side.Such is the hope around Insigne's potential that the club's directors chose him to replace the PSG-bound Ezequiel Lavezzi last summer.Having finished second in Serie A, Insigne needs to build on his 37 league appearances last season - of which 21 came as a sub - and establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.Striker:Benfica's run to the Europa League final ended in a heartbreaking night in Amsterdam, but Spanish forward Rodrigo will undoubtedly have plenty more chances at glory in his career.Best-known here for a fairly unremarkable spell on loan at Bolton, the tall, technical forward's career has soared since he signed for the Portuguese giants as back-up to Paraguayan wizard Oscar Cardozo.His versatility has worked against him in many ways, with the arrival of Lima pushing Rodrigo out to the left wing more and more over the last 12 months but for Spain's under-21s he will get the number 9 shirt, a starting berth and a chance to shine.
