Under 17s face Belgium, Israel and Wales

Gibraltar’s Under 17s are on the road again as they finally get to play their Under 17 group matches against Belgium, Israel and Wales.
The group matches, initially scheduled to have been played in Israel was psotponed after the atatcks on Israel by Hamas and as Israel declared war on Hamas. The Gibraltar Under U17s had been due to depart on the day, with news breaking out as they readied to depart and a decision made on the same day.
The group matches have since been moved to Wales, with UEFA now having made all the necessary preparations with the Wales FA and the other teams for matches to be played this week.
Gibraltar will be glad to have had the extra month to prepare, affording players much needed domestic competitive matches before the face the likes of Belgium.
Their first match will be against Belgium who are considered as one of the favorites of the group.
Following the heavy defeats faced by Gibraltar’s youth teams in recent months the spotlight will be on the Under 17s to see how they progress in this tournament.
Gibraltar will face Israel and hosts Wales.
With the team aged 15-16 Gibraltar will have a relatively young and inexperienced squad, although they have shown some positives during their preparations.
Whilst results will not be as important, all eyes will be on whether the confidence levels at this level if the youth game remains intact following recent defeats at higher levels which has seen Gibraltar’s preparedness to compete put in some doubt.
With a small pool of players to choose from compared to their opponents, Gibraltar’s main resource has in the past focused on the team’s confidence and unity and their determination and resilience against what are tough odds to overcome, Especially when facing nations whose ranking levels are far higher than their own.