“I'm not sure how many other countries in Europe can boast that; it's the best preparation they can possibly get.

"There are only a couple not involved, a couple who have been doing something else to keep sharp; we've had them on a dedicated programme and we're hoping the players will be fresh, sharp and ready to play.”

Even though Everton’s domestic season does start until September, they hope to hit the ground running in Group G in Croatia, thanks to the international exploits of their players.

In Belarus, Marley led England to the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship title on Saturday with club charges Duggan, Christiansen, Hinnigan and Jess Holbrook in the squad, while they also provided several players to the seniors in two recent friendlies, Jody Handley scoring a late winner to beat Denmark 1-0 on Wednesday.

Marley, who thinks the emergence of the likes of Duggan and Hinnigan have made Everton a stronger prospect than in their last European entry, admits she is unsure as to exactly what the Toffees will face in Croatia.

“It's hard to judge because we don't know too much about the other teams,” she said. “Obviously we've got a strong Norwegian side in there, but I'm not too familiar with the Estonian team or the Croatian team. So I think it's a case of going in, feeling it and doing what we do well, what got us into the competition in the first place, then adapt and progress in the competition itself.”

“It's a little bit of the unknown but we'll just take every game as it comes, play to our strengths and hope they're more concerned about what we do than what they do.”

Key to Marley's squad is midfielder Fara Williams, who captained England's senior team against Denmark.

And the 25-year-old is relishing playing in the relaunched competition.

“It's fantastic, the Champions League,” she said.

“When you watch the men's game, that's what you wait for, and I think to be a woman and be able to play in the Champions League, it's great for us. We played in the UEFA Cup a couple of years ago, that was a great experience for us and that brought us together as a team, and it made us want more.”