Moldova looks to challenge Greek perfection

The Greek National Team will look to extend their perfect start to their World Cup Qualifying campaign, as Greece finally returns home to host Moldova at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. Two successive victories on the road against Luxembourg, and Latvia saw Greece begin the healing process after a painful EURO 2008.

Greece held off their opponents to earn two clean sheets in the least of ideal circumstances, against two sides classified as European minnows. Defeating Luxembourg proved an easy task for Greece, but the fixture against Latvia four days later was a better indication of Greece’s returning path to form.
For Moldova, their home stand to commence their qualifying fixtures was not as rewarding as the Moldovans expected. Two consecutive losses to Latvia and Israel leave Moldova at the foot of the Group 2 rankings with no points. But recent results against their Saturday opponents, leaves room for optimism among the Moldova ranks.

Both teams were paired in the same group for the EURO 2008 Qualifying campaign; although Greece emerged as winners of that particular section, the trip to Moldova and the return fixture were too close for call for Greece. A resilient Moldovan effort on defense pushed Greece to the extremes to find a winning goal – it took a late goal from Nikos Liberopoulos to see Greece edge Moldova on both occasions. The overall improvement of Moldovan football since their 1991 introduction to international football is a clear indication of the threat posed by the former Soviets.

For Greece, they too have improved over the years – although their performance during the recent continental championships was a step in the wrong direction. Despite any past embarrassments, Greece has managed to put any plaguing mistakes behind them. Their current record is nearly the total opposite of their opening set of results for their 2006 World Cup Qualifying campaign. Then, the Greeks were defeated and held by neighbouring rivals Albania and Turkey. Now, with maximum points after two matches, Greece is poised to take advantage of the home stand occupying Karaiskaki for the next week.

With the tough test – at least on paper – coming on Wednesday, Otto Rehhagel will make sure his side is focused only on Moldova. Injuries have plagued the national team during international breaks, and it seems absences will be the theme for this weekend. Panathinaikos midfielder, Georgios Karagounis, is a doubt for the match with Moldova after already missing several weeks for his club; however, a return to action could come as early as Wednesday’s fixture with Switzerland.

Fortunately for Greece, their line up is not as battered as it has been in the past. Several players are ready for a return this weekend; usual starters Giourkas Seitaridis and Ioannis Amanatidis have overcome their respective injuries, and are ready for duty.

Despite the returnees, it seems Greece will be relying on a familiar core to guide the undefeated Greeks to another victory. In the opening series of matches, Theofanis Gekas was a crucial part of the team’s success after he snatched three goals – not to mention a double in the game against Latvia. The former Bundesliga leading scorer has struggled on the club level, but his sharpshooting helped Greece collect their first points of the qualifiers. His attacking counterpart, Angelos Charisteas also collected a tally but it was his work ethic which made Greece a threat to their opposition. With several strikers now in contention for a starting role, Greece will be keen on hitting the score sheet early and often.

Greece’s midfield could lack the usual grit thanks to Karagounis’ absence. With the Greek approach to attack relying on sharp pass from the middle line, midfielders like Kostas Katsouranis and Angelos Basinas will need to provide the attackers with sharp passes. Defense will also be a key attribute for this unit, as recent encounters with Moldova has allowed the Greeks to observe effective ‘counter-attacking. Supporting role players will likely be Christos Patsatzoglou, and youngster Sotiris Ninis. The odd man out, could be Panathinaikos’ Alexandros Tziolis.

Greece’s main strength has always been found in their gritty back line. The center of the defense has drastically changed since the end of the recent European Championships, as a new branch co-mingle with legends of the line. Traianos Dellas continues to be a pillar in the Greek defense, but Sotirios Kyrgiakos – the man who replaced him at AEK Athens – has been as equally effective. On the wings of the defense is where the Greeks find their transition between defense and offense as two of the most successful wing-backs in recent time fulfill their responsibilities. Olympiakos’ own Vassilios Torosidis provides a scare on the one flank, and Giourkas Seitaridis provides support to the Greek attack on the opposite wing.

In goal, Kostas Chalkias is the sensible choice between posts. Taking over after Antonis Nikopolidis called time on his international career, the PAOK shot stopper has kept the Greece goal pure after three matches – a friendly against Slovakia, and the qualifiers against Luxembourg and Latvia.

The final result should see Greece come away with full points – especially with the loyal twelfth man filling Karaiskaki to an expected full capacity. However, as easy as it looks on paper, Greece will be cautious of their visitor’s threat; respecting them as both teams aim to better position themselves for a chance to compete in South Africa.

Greece (Otto Rehhagel):

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

Defenders: Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Traianos Dellas (Anorthosis Famagusta), Vassilios Torosidis (Olympiakos), Sotirios Kyrgiakos (AEK Athens), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Giourkas Seitaridis (Atletico Madrid), Nikos Spyropoulos (Panathinaikos)

Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Benfica), Georgios Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotirios Ninis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiakos), Angelos Basinas (AEK Athens)

Strikers: Ioannis Amanatidis (Eintracht Frankfurt), Georgios Samaras (Celtic), Angelos Charisteas (FC Nuremberg), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Nikos Liberopoulos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Dimitrios Salpingidis (Panathinaikos).

Moldova (Igor Dobrovolski)

Goalkeepers: Nicolae Calancea (Zimbru Chisinau), Stanislav Namasco (Sheriff Tiraspol),

Defenders: Alexandru Epureanu (FC Moscow), Igor Armas (Zimbru Chisinau), Serghei Lascencov (Olimpik), Alexei Savinov (FC Baki).

Midfielders: Radu Rebeja (Khimki), Vitalie Bordian (Metalist), Valeriu Anrdonic (Baltika), Denis Zmeu (FC Vaslui), Alexandru Suvorov (FC Tiraspol), Igor Tigirlas (Ventspils), Andrei Corneencov (Sheriff Tiraspol), Eugeniu Cebotaru (Ceahlaul), Victor Bulat (Dacia Chisinau).

Strikers: Viorel Frunza (Spartak Nalcik), Serghei Alexeev (Sheriff Tiraspol), Igor Picusciac (Sheriff Tiraspol), Igor Bugaiov (Ural), Maxim Copeliciuc (Academia UTM Chisinau).