Colin O'Brien believes his Republic of Ireland U17 squad is ready to embrace the challenge as they prepare to kick off their UEFA European U17 Championship in Croatia.
O'Brien's panel arrived by the Adriatic on Monday to hone preparations following a two-day training camp in Ireland prior to departure.
They come into the tournament in fine form following an impressive qualifying campaign that yielded six wins from six games, but O'Brien is taking nothing for granted ahead of the Group C opener against Serbia.
"Preparation has gone well so far. We’ve had one final pitch session today and we’re now ready to go for the Serbia game," the manager said.
"We’ve a couple of niggles, a couple of players to keep an eye on and make one or two decisions on before kick-off. We’ll assess it today and then we’ll be able to make our final decision.
"The mood is great in the camp. This group of players are very mature. There is a very good team dynamic with them and a very good team spirit.
"They are all looking forward to this opportunity. We know the challenges that will be there in the group stages but we have got to be solely focussed on game one and take it from there."
There's a real sense of optimism around the Irish camp that they can make a serious impact on this competition, but they'll be wary of today's opponents.
Qualifying as a best runner-up in the Elite Round, Serbia will provide Ireland with a huge test in Thursday’s game. O’Brien is under no illusions as to the size of the task facing his side.
"Serbia will be a very big challenge. They are a good side with huge physicality right through the spine of the team. They have a pretty good mix, they can play a possession game or go direct and will be a big threat from set pieces.
"That being said, we’ve identified areas of their game we feel we can exploit and that is something we’ll be very focused on."
Republic of Ireland Under 17 squad
Goalkeepers: Brian Maher (St Patrick’s Athletic), Kian Clarke (Bohemians)
Defenders: Lee O’Connor (Manchester United), Kameron Ledwidge (St Kevin’s Boys), Nathan Collins (Cherry Orchard), Jordan Doherty (Sheffield United), Daryl Walsh (Waterford FC), Joe Redmond (Birmingham City)
Midfielders: Aaron Bolger (Shamrock Rovers), Luke Nolan (St Patrick’s Athletic), Brandon Kavanagh (Bohemians), Richard O’Farrell (St Patrick’s Athletic), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Callum Thompson (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Forwards: Rowan Roache (Blackpool), Adam Idah (College Corinthians), Aaron Connolly (Brighton & Hove Albion), Tyreik Wright (Lakewood AFC)
Fixtures
Thursday, 4 May: Republic of Ireland v Serbia, Stadium Kostrena, 3.30pm
Sunday 7 May: Republic of Ireland v Bosnia & Herzegovina, Stadium Kostrena, Kostrena, 3.30pm
Wednesday, 10 May: Republic of Ireland v Germany, Stadium Rujevica, Rijeka, 11.0am,
