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England Under-21 team news: How Young Lions could line up for European Championship opener against France
Aidy Boothroyd takes a strong squad to Italy, including the likes of James Maddison and Aaron Wan-Bissaka
England Under-21s enter Euro 2019 among the favourites ahead of their tournament opener against France on Tuesday night.
The Young Lions haven't won the competition since 1984 and came close two years ago, losing on penalties to eventual winners Germany in the semi-finals.
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They travel to Italy with one of their strongest squads in recent years, featuring Premier League stars such as Leicester's James Maddison and Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
With only one team guaranteed to qualify from each group, Aidy Boothroyd's men cannot afford a slow start, especially against the much-fancied French side.
"It is knockout football from day one," said Boothroyd. "You don't get the luxury of having a game to just assess things whether you win, lose or draw and then have the next game to accumulate some points.
Ian Abrahams previews the England Under 21 squad and their chances of success at the European Championships
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"With this you are at it from the start. You know teams are going to need to attack to win the groups or claim the best runners-up spot. How does that change what we do?
"It doesn't really because we look to play and win every single game. That's what we've talked about. It isn't going to be as easy as just saying that but we are looking to win the game."
Here's how talkSPORT.com expects the Young Lions to line up at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi in Cesena.
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Boothroyd is spoilt for choice in attack and faces a real selection headache.
Phil Foden featured several times for Manchester City this season, while Maddison and Hamza Choudhury both started regularly for Leicester, so it's difficult to see any of them missing out.
The Young Lions boss is likely to call on regular England Under-21 stars Demarai Gray, Reiss Nelson and Tammy Abraham in attack.
However, this would mean no place in the starting XI for Harvey Barnes, Dominic Calvert-Lewin or Dominic Solanke, while Mason Mount and Ademola Lookman will also be pushing for starts.