Coach: Otto Rehhagel
World Ranking: 12
Key Player: Theofanis Gekas
World Cup Record: One final appearance at USA 1994
Group B Schedule:
12 June – South Korea v Greece
17 June – Greece v Nigeria
22 June – Greece v Argentina
The Greeks didn’t pull up any trees in their only appearance to date at the World Cup. However, 10 years later they shocked the footballing world by being crowned European Champions. Their defence of that title in Switzerland/Austria two years was a disappointing effort, so based on the laws of probability they should fare well in South Africa.
Euro 2004 veterans such as Kostas Katsouranis and Giorgos Karagounis are driven by the thought of crowning their international careers with a successful World Cup campaign.
For gifted younger players like Sotiris Ninis and Sokratis Papastathopoulos it is a chance to show their skills on a stage they could only dream of a few years back.
Greek hopes rest on striker Theofanis Gekas. The former Bundesliga top scorer has been back in form, scoring in a bid to save Hertha Berlin from relegation after switching in mid-season from Bayer Leverkusen. His speed and goal instinct are eye-popping and he was the top scorer in all of the Eurozone's World Cup qualifying groups, with 10 goals.
The tournament is expected to be the last for manager Otto Rehhagel.
Final Squad
Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK Salonika).
Defenders: Giorgos Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Evangelos Moras (Bologna), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK Salonika)
Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika)
Forwards: Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest), Theofanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic)
