Greece awaits Swiss test

October 14th, 2008 | by: Peter Katsiris | View Comments

Greece was victorious on Saturday to continue its perfect start to World Cup Qualification, but the undefeated Greeks will look to extend that feat even further on Wednesday when they entertain Switzerland at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. Labelled as a wounded tiger by Greece coach Otto Rehhagel, Switzerland will demonstrate just how ‘wounded’ they are when they challenge
Greece’s perfect record.

Wins against Luxembourg, Latvia, and Moldova have allowed Greece to establish a rare record among European sides, as the Greeks join England, Spain, and the Netherlands as the only undefeated sides in Europe. The field is reduced even further when considering Greece’s goals against record, as three clean sheets sees Greece join Spain as the only teams yet to concede. On the offensive front the Greeks have not been as ineffective as their opponents, as the Greeks have scored eight times thus far – second only to England and Germany who have scored eleven.

Although Greece has enjoyed a consistent opening to their qualifying campaign, but the same can’t be said for Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Switzerland. After finishing level with Israel in Ramat Gan, the Swiss suffered a shock defeat against traditional minnows Luxembourg four days later. A month off from the embarrassment suffered against lowly-Luxembourg, this past Saturday finally saw the Swiss achieve their first victory in their quest to reach the World Cup Finals in South Africa.

While one battle will be played out on the field, another will take place on the sidelines. Both managers have proven their worth with successful records in the German Bundesliga; however, Rehhagel has plied his trade in the international game for much longer than Ottmar Hitzfeld. After taking over the Greek reigns in 2001, Rehhagel has transformed Greece from underdogs to competitors in a short period of time. For Hitzfeld, the start to achieve something similar to what his co-patriot has done with his Wednesday opponents has been shaky and nowhere near expectations. Fresh off a triumphant term with Bayern Munich, Hitzfeld was not able to steer Switzerland around the introductory obstacles.

Injury concerns could affect the starting the line-ups of both teams, as influential players face absences. For Greece, Georgios Karagounis faces another match on the sidelines as he continues to battle an injury he picked up last month.

Tranquilo Barnetta, meanwhile, is expected to be absent for Switzerland as the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder struggles to overcome a thigh muscle injury. Other absentees include center back duo Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou, after the latter joined the on-loan Milan defender on the sidelines with a head injury.

The match’s result won’t be known until the final whistle, but if Greece does continue its perfect streak Switzerland’s chances of World Cup Qualification could be dented pre-maturely.