Euro 2008 Group D Preview: Greece v. Spain

Greece

vs

Spain

Wednesday, June 18, Kickoff 2045 CET
Salzburg (Austria)

THE BIG PICTURE

This game, on paper, means nothing. Spain is already top finisher in Group D, and Greece is already last. After becoming the first-ever defending Euro champion to lose their first two group matches, Greece has nothing but a shred of honor to play for in this match, against what should be a Holland-style reserve side from the Spanish. Like the Oranje yesterday, La Furia Roja needs to strike a balance between well-deserved rest and maintaining their momentum, especially going into a quarterfinal with the always dangerous Azzurri.

GREECE

Three Key Players:
Antonios Nikopolidis – It was a tough day at the office for the man we call Clooney, 37-year-old keeper Nikopolidis, and Greece will have an interesting choice here – start him or give a chance to future #1 Alexandros Tzorvas? They will probably stick with Nikopolidis, and he’ll need to be much more solid against Spain.
Patsa – I literally have to cut and paste his name to stop from calling him Pasta. Anyway, the Olympiakos man has stepped up as the new Trianos Dellas in the defensive end for Greece, and had some nice moments (and some not so nice) against the Russians. If this Greek team, playing for clean sheets, can’t get a single one in this tournament, it will be a bit sad for them, and he can help a lot in that department.
Fanis Gekas – Let’s see some offense this time, boys. No team since Denmark in 2000 has gone out of the group stages without scoring a single goal, and if Greece are to avoid joining that little club, they need some production from their young scoring talent.

Greece squad
Greece Team Profile

Visit Takis at the Greece Euro 2008 Team Blog for more.

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SPAIN

Three Key Players:
Hard to say, since it will likely be a backup side, but here’s a stab at it:
Cesc Fabregas – One of the most amazing things about this Spanish side to me is the fact that Cesc can’t find a starting spot. The 4-4-2 that worked so brilliantly against Russia leaves no room for him as a starter, but like Arjen Robben and Klaus-Jan Huntelaar for Holland, he’s not a bad bench option.
Dani Güiza – The La Liga Golden Boot winner is another brilliant backup option for Spain, and he should get a chance to shine in this one, though the 1-2 punch of Villa and Torres is going to be tough to break into.
Iker Casillas – The best keeper in La Liga had a mediocre game against Sweden, letting in a goal from Ibrahimovic that he should have stopped. Unlike Van der Sar for Holland, he should get a chance to take revenge on any Greek striker with the gall to send a ball his way.

Spain
Spain Team Profile

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BIG BATTLES

Spain vs. Complacency They’ve won the group, and the question now is whether they will tromp with reserves (a la Holland) or settle in for a meaningless loss (like Portugal). We’ll see how things work out in the next round, but I have to give the edge to the team that knows their bench can win games.

Greece vs. Giving Up It’s hard to play for nothing but pride, especially when you’re probably the side least admired by neutrals at the tournament. We’d all like to say that if we were the coach, we’d field an attacking side to save some face and provide some entertainment, but this is a defensive team, and they will likely not change their stripes.

Spain vs. Italy Let’s be honest – this is the only matchup coming up for either of these teams that really matters. Spain has the luxury of choosing how to prepare for the Italians, who are (surprise, surprise) ramping up their game just in time for the knockouts. Late word is that Iniesta might be the only returning starter in the outfield, which is an interesting choice, but regardless of squad choices, all eyes are on Sunday’s quarterfinal. And that might be the one thing that saves Greece.

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LIVEBLOG

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