England under-17s boss Steve Cooper is looking forward to bringing his side down to their 'second home' on Saturday as the Young Lions face Russia in a friendly at the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday (1pm).

Fresh off the back of World Cup success in India, Cooper is already turning his attentions to next summer's European Championships - with the Pirelli one of the host venues alongside Rotherham United, Chesterfield, St George's Park and Walsall.

The home of Burton Albion has benefited from its close proximity to St George's Park - the National Football Centre in Tatenhill - and has hosted England games before with the latest one a 1-1 draw with Ukraine last year.

And Cooper is delighted to be back in the familiar surroundings of the Pirelli - and is hoping his side can attract fans wanting their football fix during the international break.

England manager Steve Cooper and Rhian Brewster
England manager Steve Cooper and Rhian Brewster

"Burton is a little bit of a second home for England teams," he told Burton's website.

"We go there a lot and we have done a lot over the years. Naturally, it's the closest stadium to St George's Park for the development teams.

"We enjoy going there, it's a magnificent pitch and hopefully we can get a good crowd."

"They're all passionate towns who love their football and have all supported our teams in the past. Hopefully they can do that again," he added of Burton and the other venues for next year's Euros.

The friendly against Russia is part of a tournament aimed at replicating next summer's Championships, and Cooper hopes his youngsters will benefit from familiarising themselves with their surroundings.

England also face Portugal and Germany, but will be doing so without the likes of Liverpool's Rhian Brewster and Manchester City's Phil Foden - both key to the Young Lion's World Cup success.

That is because they have now moved up to under-19 level, so Cooper will be bringing a fresh set of youngsters off the production line to the Pirelli.

"I think there are lots of things we can achieve from this event," Cooper added.

Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium
Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium

"First and foremost, it's another England camp for the players.

"It's still pretty early on in their international journey - some are getting call-ups for the first time, some have been with us since under 15-s so it's really good to get the group back together and playing some games.

"That's always important in the under-17 year. because you're preparing for finals at the end of the year.

"The fact we're hosting this year and playing in the stadiums the games will be played in, it'll be great to run through what the finals might look like playing in the stadiums at Chesterfield, Rotherham and Burton, we've had great experiences there before.

England's under-17 World Cup winners
England's under-17 World Cup winners

"We've got some really strong opposition. Germany Portugal and Russia are going to offer us a really good test as we will for them as well.

"It's just a matter of continuing the progress and journey of the team and allowing them to get ready for the finals at the end of the year."