Danny Ings is aiming to help England get off to a winning start at the European U21 Championship when they face Portugal this evening.

And the Liverpool new boy, who has agreed a deal to join the club on July 1 subject to a medical, sees no reason why Gareth Southgate's team cannot go on to win this summer's tournament.

The 22-year-old is part of a Three Lions squad that boasts plenty of Barclays Premier League experience and, as a result, they are among the favourites for glory in the Czech Republic.

An opening fixture against the Portuguese looks to be a tough assignment but Ings says he is excited by the challenge.

"I think every side in this tournament is extremely strong," he told BT Sport. "Portugal and any of the other teams.

"We played them a few months back and dominated the game but obviously it means nothing going into the tournament apart from the confidence we took from that game.

"It's all about what we do on the night and we look forward to it."

England have been hit by the withdrawal of prolific forward Saido Berahino due to a knee problem in the build-up to Thursday's fixture.

But Ings and Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane - both of whom enjoyed stellar seasons - remain available for selection and that could prove to be vital according to the former Bournemouth star.

"Of course, there is no reason why we can't," he said when probed over his country's chances.

"The quality is in the group, the mentality is in the group, and I'm sure every team in the group and the tournament fears us now because we were unbeaten in qualification.

"We did it with flying colours, we played some tremendous football, from the strikers to the midfielders, there is so much strike force in this squad, which will give the gaffer a bit of a headache over who to pick. 

"But it is very exciting for the country to have young strikers and young attacking midfielders scoring goals."