England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce has said that his side are set out to win the European Championship after preparing for two years.

England kick off their campaign against Italy on Wednesday at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.

Pearce is hopeful for a fantastic tournament and insists that it is an opportunity for young players to stake a claim for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

"I think it will be a fantastic tournament. It's a great setting and Israel are really looking forward to hosting it. There are also some really big sides here," Pearce told Sky Sports News. "Certainly, for as long as I have been involved, it's the strongest line-up of teams I have seen.

"We have been preparing for this for two years and it's an opportunity for some of the players to try and prove they are good enough to go to the World Cup next year.

"We always set out to win and to be fair we have come through a tough playoff to get here. We will try and win our group and from there."

The tournament in Israel is Pearce's fourth in Europe.