Riga the next stop for travelling Greece

After a solid start to their Qualifying campaign on Saturday, Greece will look for more of the same tomorrow night when they meet Latvia in Riga. Saturday’s 3-0 win over Luxembourg was good measure for a Greece side looking to erase their disastrous EURO 2008 campaign; but the test will be much stiffer on Wednesday.

A variety of goal scorers gave Greece a convincing 3-0 win against Luxembourg, and their attack prowl will be called upon again in Riga. Vassilis Torosidis, known more for his assists than his goal scoring ability, opened the scoring for Greece on Saturday. His skilled moves down the flank will be a key attribute if Greece is to succeed again on Wednesday.

Prolific talisman, Theofanis Gekas, made it look easy when he rounded the keeper to tap in Greece’s second on the weekend, but he can be assured the task won’t be as easy against Latvia. Another of Greece reputable strikers, Angelos Charisteas, was one of the few Greeks on top of their game during EURO 2008. The Nuremberg striker has continued his fine form, as he caused plenty of trouble for the Luxembourgish defense and was rewarded when he slotted home a penalty late in the match.
In the midfield, Georgios Karagounis always has an impact on Greece’s play. The Panathinaikos midfielder will be heavily relied on again on Wednesday. His accuracy from set-pieces will have to be top-notch for Greece to be dangerous on the attacking front.

In defense, Traianos Dellas overcame an injury ahead of the encounter with Luxembourg and managed to play an untested role in Greece’s run to a clean sheet on Saturday. The Anorthosis Famagusta center-back could see a rise in the challenge on Wednesday, with the homes side playing with nothing to lose.

In goal, Kostas Chalkias was tested sparingly on Saturday, but managed to prove he is ready for the starting reigns after legendary goalkeeper, Antonis Nikopolidis, called time on his international career after EURO 2008. The PAOK back stopper will have to be atop his game against Latvia, in order to preserve the precious clean sheet.

Both teams currently sit atop Group 2, with only goal differential giving Greece the slight edge. After shocks on the club front for Greece, the national team will surely be weary of the challenge the Latvians possess. Having an embarrassing against their matchday 2 opponents, Greece will be looking to beat Latvia for the first time in their history.