Greece ready for Denmark date

Valentine’s Day might be just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean Greece will show Denmark any love when the Scandinavian side pays a visit to the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium on Wednesday (MEGA, 21:15 GR). Marking the first fixture of the new calendar year for Greece, this stiff international friendly is the final tune-up for Otto Rehhagel’s side before their World Cup Qualifying campaign resumes next month.

Winless in their last two matches, Greece will attempt to start 2009 on the right track in what is expected to be the National Team’s last match in Piraeus for quite some time. Meanwhile, Denmark is also dreaming of a berth in next year’s World Cup, but the road to South Africa has only just begun.

Final Auditions
The Greeks were bitterly beaten by Switzerland back in October, as Blaise N’Kufo’s late strike gave the travelling Swiss a memorable win outside the Greek capital; immediately ending Greece’s perfect start to qualification for next year’s World Cup.

A month later a stiffer test came calling as World Champions Italy sailed across the Adriatic Sea to meet Greece in an international friendly at Karaiskaki. Theofanis Gekas put the Greeks on pace for a rare win against the Italians, until Bayern Munich’s Luca Toni equalized moments later to secure a draw for the ‘Azzurri’.

With victory eluding Rehhagel’s men for two consecutive games now, the ‘Ethniki’ is hoping for a celebratory start to the New Year. A back-to-back series of qualifiers with Israel looms in the horizon for Greece, and this particular meeting with the Danes is a critical check-up for the hosts.

Usually known for his experimental attitude during most international friendlies, Rehhagel has realized the importance of experience as Greece’s roster boasts more familiar faces than usual.

The German tactician chose not to call-up Panathinaikos starlet Sotiris Ninis, or Ergotelis’ midfield sensation Vasilis Koutsianikoulis, but did give Bologna’s Vaggelis Moras his first international shout.

With the microscope on the ‘Galanoleuki’ magnifying immensely game-after-game, there is plenty of pressure on Greece to secure what would be a momentum-boosting win on Wednesday evening.

Different Strokes
Shocking many by leading their qualifying group, which includes Portugal and Sweden, Denmark also views their Greek excursion as a critical encounter.

With a meeting with Malta, and then Albania in store for the Danes in about a month’s time, there is urgency in the need to return to form after a long pause on international football.

Despite an undefeated start to their qualifying campaign, Denmark couldn’t solve Wales when the pair met for an international friendly in Copenhagen back in November. The Danes will aim for a victory in Piraeus, but a another stiff match between these rising European associations is likely to be the story line.

While his touchline counterpart decided to rely on an older, more mature, contingent of players, Morten Olsen has handed out a rare international opportunity for several young talents.

Simon Kjaer appears to be the notable inclusion, as the 19-year-old joins a contingent of young blood seeking its first international cap.

While a youthful energy is installed into Denmark’s roster, leadership may be lacking as veteran center back Martin Laursen announced his retirement from international football ahead of the friendly. Alongside the Aston Villa defender, former Real Madrid and Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen also hung up his international boots as he discontinued his Denmark career.

Vaccinated Rosters
The injury bug usually creates a problem for Greece, but the only notable absentee through injury is striker Ioannis Amanatidis. The Eintracht Frankfurt striker has been out of service for club and country since October, and a return continues to elude one of the National Team’s regulars.

Laursen’s retirement appears to be the only change in Denmark’s squad as familiar faces, excluding Kjaer and Jakub Poulsen, have returned for ‘Olsen Banden’.

Levelling Old Scores
The last time these two sides met was back in 2005, and Denmark claimed to spoils with a 1-0 win in Copennghagen. That loss, combined with a shock defeat to Ukraine, saw then European Champions Greece miss out on the World Cup Finals in Germany. Denmark eventually received the same fate, as two of the early favourites finished behind group-winners Ukraine, and runners-up Turkey.

Although Denmark has been able to beat Greece in the comfort of Copenhagen, they lost during their last trip to the port city of Piraeus.

With an array of talent ready-to-go for both sides, Greece and Denmark will be seeking a win in front of a sparse Athenian crowd. The low attendance could be a disappointment for the hosts, but they will be keen to attract followers of the future with a strong performance

Greece (Otto Rehhagel):
Goalkeepers: Konstantinos Chalkias (PAOK), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos).

Defenders: Traianos Dellas (Anorthosis Famagusta), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiacos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiacos), Nikos Spyropoulos (Panathinaikos), Giourkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (AEK Athens), Vangelis Moras (Bologna)

Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Benfica), Alexandros Tziolis (Werder Bremen), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiacos), Angelos Basinas (Portsmouth), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos).

Strikers: Theofanis Gekas (Portsmouth), Nikos Lyberopoulos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Dimitrios Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Angelos Charisteas (Bayer Leverkusen), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic).

Denmark (Morten Olsen):
Goalkeepers: Jesper Christiansen (FC Copenhagen), Thomas Sorensen (Stoke), Stephan Andersen (Brondby).

Defenders: Chris Sorensen (Odense), Daniel Agger (Liverpool), Jakob Poulsen (Aarhus), Lars Jacobsen (Everton), Per Kroldrup (Fiorentina), Simon Kjaer (Palermo).

Midfielders: Christian Poulsen (Juventus), Daniel Jensen (Werder Bremen), Jonas Borring (FC Midtjylland), Leon Andreasen (Hannover), Martin Vingaard (FC Copenhagen), Thomas Kristensen (FC Copenhagen), Dennis Rommedahl (NEC Nijmegen).

Forwards: Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal), Soren Larsen (Toulouse).