STUART Pearce’s England Under-21s will face Germany in the group stages of next year’s European Championships in Sweden.

Pearce’s youngsters have been dealt a tough draw for the finals, with Spain and Finland completing Group B and the top two reaching the semis.

England will be encouraged by defeating Germany in a play-off over two legs to reach the 2007 finals, where they reached the last four before getting beaten by hosts Holland after a marathon penalty shoot-out.

They faced Spain early in Pearce’s reign as Under-21 coach, with David Nugent and Leroy Lita scoring to secure a draw after falling 2-0 behind.

Pearce’s side have not been beaten since the last tournament – their unbeaten record in 90 minutes stretches further back –and they are targeting victory in Sweden next summer.

‘‘I believe we’ll be in a better position this time around than we were going into Holland in 2007,’’ said Pearce ‘‘Our aim has been to win it and between now and then there is a lot of football to be played, so we must use that to improve as a squad and individually.’’ Pearce is still pushing for Theo Walcott and other eligible players to travel to Sweden, despite establishing themselves in the seniors.

‘‘To have an opportunity of winning this tournament you need to have your best players here,” he said.

‘‘Whoever plays for England in this tournament, if we get to the World Cup in 2010 and on into the future, the experience will be be invaluable to them.’’