Barbados are confident of their chances of emerging victorious from the Under-17 World Cup Qualifying tournament which gets under way tonight, with team manager Frank Gill noting his side's chances to be as good as any.

Barbados, who face Bermuda in their first match tonight (9 p.m., National Stadium) against the likes of Jamaica and Netherlands Antilles for rights to the next round of the competition, were the first foreign team to arrive -- they flew in last Thursday via New York.

"We don't know a lot about all the teams, but we have done well previously and hope to continue in that vein,'' said Gill while overseeing a training session at Police Field on Friday. "When the tournament starts we'll be trying our best to give our best, and if we give our best then I think we will be successful.

"Our aim here really is to qualify and move on to another stage, so that's how we favour our chances.'' Much like Bermuda, Barbados have not had much in terms of international friendlies in the lead-in.

However since coming out of the first round hosted by Guyana, Gill noted the boys to have faced a number of senior opposition, which have provided stern tests.

"We've not had a lot of warm-up games in our preparation, but we were fairly intense in our training,'' continued Gill, flanked by a few locally based policemen hailing from his homeland. "We've played against some of our most senior, successful teams back home, we've just qualified in the first round played in Guyana and, basically, we have been hard at work for the last three or four months.

"As the time got closer we have intensified our training and we're at the point now where we feel rather confident about ourselves.'' Unwilling to point to any one individual, or individuals, as key cogs, Gill instead noted the well rounded nature of the assembled group, one that looks to simply play good soccer, reaping offence from good defence and vice versa.

Barbados can be expected to come out in a 4-2-4 formation, yet this would always be subject to change depending on situation and circumstance said Gill.

"Once we go onto the field of play we might start with a 4-2-4, but, obviously, the coach will assess the opponent and we might have, during the course of the game, to put off that and go into another fixed pattern,'' he said. "So, I wouldn't want to, at this point in time, say that we're going to play any one style or any one formation, but I'm almost sure we will start 4-2-4.'' With Jamaica being booked as the early favourites, Gill was asked how he felt his side staked up against Caribbean neighbours that, especially since their passage to the finals of the senior World Cup have been looked at as being far and away the best among the region.

His answer was respectful, but there was no amount of awe evident.

"I believe that Jamaica have had a lot of preparation in recent times, but we have played them, although not in the recent past, and were never really outdone. We were either in position to draw or win when we competed, not at the Under-17 level, but at the Under-20, Under-23 and senior and have done fairly well, so we are not fearful of them.

"We're all coming into almost a foreign country, the conditions here I don't think will favour Jamaica any more than it will favour us.

"Luckily for us we are in some two or three days before most of the other visiting teams and we would hope that we can be acclimatised so that at night we won't have any real hiccups.'' Young guns: Barbados are put through their paces at Police Field.