Adriatic rivals meet in Piraeus

Club duties will be put aside this week, as the international stage returns to the main spotlight. Some of that spotlight will be shared by the rekindling of an old rivalry in Piraeus, as Italy makes the trip across the Adriatic Sea to meet Greece just outside the Greek capital. Although the match is billed as an international friendly, the atmosphere at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium will be nothing short of an intense environment.

The main focus for both sides has been to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Italians, a regular in the quadrennial tournament, are looking to qualify for the world showpiece and defend their crown. Their pursuit to repeat as World Champions has been boosted by many returns. With Marcelo Lippi returning as manager of the ‘Azzurri’, many stars followed suit and returned to the squad. With an undefeated record after four matches, the Italians sit atop Group 8 with ten points.

The Greeks, meanwhile, have only qualified for the world’s most popular tournament on one occasion. After their finest hour in 2004, Greece was a shoe-in to make the final tournament in Germany. A string of poor results in the climax of their qualifying campaign saw Greece limited to watching the finals from their television sets. With past results put behind them, Greece has started brightly on its quest for South Africa. The only blunder came in a shock 2-1 loss at home to Switzerland; but the defeat to the Swiss was not enough to dethrone the Greeks from their spot atop the Group 2 standing.

Wednesday’s mouth-watering clash won’t have any effect on either qualifying campaign, but instead could determine which players will be part of each side’s respective roster for the upcoming qualifiers. With European qualifiers on pause until March, it seems both managers are comfortable to call upon irregulars to the squad. In Greece’s this couldn’t be any more obvious, as the German manager has called upon many youngsters to the ‘Galanoleuki’.

In recent matches the Greek National Team has seen the presence of many youthful stars, but their contributions have been limited to sitting on the sidelines. That could all change on Wednesday evening, as long line of injuries have somewhat forced Rehhagel’s hand into the fountain of youth.

Legionnaires are still present in abundance, but it is the new names that are causing all the rage. Regular stars of tomorrow, Sotiris Ninis and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, have been called as usual; however, Rehhagel has dug even further to give Ergotelis forward, Vassilis Koutsianikoulis, his first stint with the national team. The 20-year-old was relatively unknown to the Greek football scene until a two-goal performance in Athens against Panathinaikos gave him praises. Now the star known for his second half demolition of the ‘Tryfilli’ sets his sights on success with the national team.

Another uncapped player enters the national team fold, as Vassilis Pliatsikas hopes this international call-up will hold more success than the last. The AEK midfielder replaced Ioannis Amanatidis in the squad last month, but his role with the ‘Ethniki’ was firmly for injury purposes.

With so many new faces on the squad, many players have also been left out through various reasons. In attack, Amanatidis, Giorgos Samaras and Angelos Charisteas have been left off the list due to injuries. The Greek midfield looks to be unscathed, but Christos Patsatzoglou is doubtful for the match. In defense, more absentees plague the Piraeus encounter as defensive spearhead Sotirios Kyrgiakos joins Giourkas Seitaridis on the unavailable list.

Despite a relatively inexperienced side registered, Greece still poses a threat to World Champion Italy. The man between the posts is likely to be PAOK’s Kostas Chalkias, who will be interested to erase demons that plagued his visit to Karaiskaki on Sunday.

A youthful defensive line should be led by UEFA Champions League participant Traianos Dellas. The Anorthosis Famagusta center back has been instrumental in his club’s Champions League run to date, and will look to do the same against Italy. Partnering with the 32-year-old will be Avraam Papadopoulos, who replaces the injured Kyrgiakos. On the flanks duties are likely to be handed to Genoa’s Papastathopoulos, and Olympiacos’ Vasilis Torosidis.

Giorgos Karagounis will lead the spirited midfield, but should expect assistance from Kostas Katsouranis, and captain Angelos Basinas. With Patsatzoglou out due to injury, Ninis or his Panathinaikos teammate, Alexandros Tziolis, could make a presence in Greece’s lineup.

In attack the Greeks are likely to rely on Theofanis Gekas, who will likely team up with Dimitrios Salpigidis; while Nikos Liberopoulos could make a presence off the bench. Evangelos Mantzios, who returns to the Greece fold after a long absence, could also make an impact for the ‘Ethniki’. His form has been superb for Panathinaikos, leading their Champions League campaign with three goals – all against Werder Bremen.

The Italians face a similar scenario with their squad, but Lippi has picked his squad strategically to cover any gaps left by injuries. Italy’s squad faces more impactful absences than the Greeks, as the likes of sensational keeper Gianluigi Buffon and resurgent midfielder Alessandro Del Piero have been left home by the Italian manager. AC Milan’s Andrea Pirlo and Gianluca Zambrotta join the Juventus pair on the unavailable list.

Despite the long list of absentees, Lippi has a long list of capable players at his disposal. If there is one component of the Italian squad that is less experienced than the Greeks, it will be in goal where Siena’s Gianluca Curci is favoured to make the start ahead of Galatasaray’s Morgan De Sanctis.

In defense, the pinnacle of the national team, Fabio Cannavaro, is expected to anchor the back line alongside Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini. On the flanks, Fabio Grosso – famous for his penalty-kick winner in Germany two years ago-will occupy the left flank, while AC Milan’s Daniel Bonera does the same on the opposite flank.

Gennaro Gatusso will make sure there is a gritty presence to the Italian midfield, while his center-midfield counterpart is likely to be Roma’s Daniele De Rossi. The flanks will boast some fresh faces for the ‘Azzurri’, as Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo is likely to be the third midfielder for Lippi’s side. Off the bench, Mauro Camoranesi can give the Italians an extra boost – if need be against Greece. Likewise, Simone Perrotta will also be keen to apply his trade in the Greek capital.

In attack, a late injury to Fabio Quagliarella could skew Lippi’s scouting plans. The Udinese striker was rushed to an Athens hospital on Tuesday with a broken nose he suffered in training. Nonetheless, there are many capable talismans for the Italians. Luca Toni is the most reputable striker on the list, as the Bayern Munich striker looks to score his first goal with the national side. Fiorentina’s Alberto Gilardino could partner Toni in attack, as a move away from Milan has given the unfavoured striker – at least with AC Milan – an extra step to his stride. Giuseppe Rossi could act as the third striker, whilst Vicenzo Iaquinta and Simone Pepe are likely to be limited to the bench; the latter, however, could be used in one of Lippi’s many experiments.

Although the Italian attack boasts many superstars, the exclusion of Del Piero has left many scratching their head. After scoring a sweet brace at the Santiago Bernabeu against Real Madrid, the Juventus ‘Golden Boy’ has managed to turn back the clock with his club in both domestic competition and UEFA Champions League appearances. It is certain Del Piero will be bitter about missing out on the visit to Greece.

With so many capable players in both rosters, it is obvious both sides will be keen to dispose of their Adriatic rivals. A home crowd for the Greeks will surely help, especially considering the venue is the fortress-like Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium. The Italians, meanwhile, hold an edge in experience; and with their talented build-up to the squad, they are capable of grabbing a victory away to their neighbours to the east.

Greece (Otto Rehhagel):
Goalkeepers - Kostas Chalkias (PAOK), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos).
Defenders - Traianos Dellas (Anorthosis Famagusta), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiacos), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiacos), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Nikos Spyropoulos (Panathinaikos).
Midfielders – Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Kostas Katsouranis (Benfica), Angelos Basinas (AEK Athens), Vasilis Pliatsikas (AEK Athens), Alexandros Tziolis (Panathinaikos), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Olympiacos).
Forwards - Vasilis Koutsianikoulis (Ergotelis), Evangelos Mantzios (Panathinaikos), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen), Nikos Liberopoulos (Eintracht Frankfurt), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos).

Italy (Marcelo Lippi):
Goalkeepers - Gianluca Curci (Siena), Morgan De Sanctis (Galatasaray).
Defenders - Daniele Bonera (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Dossena (Liverpool), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus).
Midfielders - Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Gaetano D’Agostino (Udinese), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Christian Maggio (Napoli), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Simone Perrotta (AS Roma).
Forwards – Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Simone Pepe (Udinese), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich).