Scotland under-21’s series against Germany will provide them with a vital international education ahead of the European Championships next year, according to manager Sheila Gray.

The side, coached by former Great Britain Olympian Rhona Simpson, face the reigning European Championships at the LLZ sports complex in Cologne over three fixtures from the 1-3 November.

Simpson is taking 19 of the current 25 players in the squad to Germany and Gray insists the series will prove to be invaluable to the preparations for the 2010 tournament.

She said: “Playing Germany, a top world team, will test the girls’ fitness and game play. It will show them the standards they’ll be up against at the European Championships in 2010. This way, they’ll know what they have to hit and, importantly, have enough time to do it.

“This camp will give Rhona, as new head coach, another chance to see players after our first camp against Ulster in September. Despite the matches being uncapped, players will get quality tournament experience as play will be intense.”