MARK HILL, the Scotland Under-17 midfielder, hopes Scot Gemmill's side can get their European Championship bid off to a perfect start when they face France this afternoon.
Scotland will also take on Greece and Russia in the coming days as they look to finish in the top two places of Group C to make it through to the knock-out phase.
The Dark Blues topped their qualification group last year before progressing from the Elite Round of the competition by finishing as one of the seven best-placed runners-up in March.
As well as bidding for European Championship glory, the Under-17s also have their sights set on a place at the upcoming World Cup in Chile and Celtic starlet Hill has lofty ambitions as he prepares for the opening match with Les Bleus in Bulgaria.
"Our minimum aim is to get through the groups and qualify for the World Cup," he said.
"We have some good players in our squad and we believe we can beat France tomorrow but we know it will be tough as all the teams at finals are of a good standard.
"We have already shown we can compete at this level and have picked up some decent results along the way but we need to perform to a high level if we are to be successful here."
If Scotland are to achieve their goals and make their mark on the continent, Hill is likely to be central to their success as he continues to grow his burgeoning reputation in the game.
The midfielder scored in Celtic's 2-0 win over Rangers in the Glasgow Cup final last week as the Hoops retained the title they won on home soil twelve months ago, and has joined a handful of his Parkhead peers in Bulgaria with the national squad.
All three matches will present tough challenges for Gemmill's side but Hill hopes his big game know-how will stand him in good stead on national duty.
"It was good experience for me to play at Hampden and also at Celtic Park last year in front of so many people," he said.
"I have trained with the first team a few times. The tempo is much faster and the players are obviously bigger and stronger so you need to be at your best but it's all good experience.
"I feel like I'm always learning, whether at my club or when I come away with Scotland, and I hope I can keep developing and make my way through to the first-team one day."
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