Malta | VS | Greece |
| Date/Time: | Mar 26, 2011, 20:30(GMT) |
| Competition: | UEFA Euro 2012 Qualifying |
| Live/Repeat: | Live |
| Venue: | Ta'Qali National Stadium (Ta'Qali) |
Malta vs Greece Match Preview
Greece travel to face Malta on Saturday in a Group F encounter for EURO 2012 qualifying.
Giorgios Karagounis is set to start for Greece against Malta
Greece have virtually no injury worries heading into this match as Santos can select from a full squad of players. The only issues are in the form of long-term absences for Alexandros Tziolis and more recently first-choice goalkeeper Michalis Sifakis, both of whom were not fit enough to make the squad.
The mood within the Greek camp seems positive; however the squad members appear to be focused on the upcoming game knowing the potential banana-skin they face in a match they are expected to win handily. Santos reiterated the importance of this type of game earlier this week by saying “if a team wants to go to a tournament like EURO 2012 then it has to win matches like this.” Santos continued by saying that all that mattered was the three points and even a win by “a half-goal to nil” would be sufficient.
Santos will be keen to continue his fine start with the national team which has seen him go undefeated since his appointment last August. The Greeks recently defeated Canada 1-0 in a February friendly and are on track in their EURO 2012 qualifying campaign after a shaky start. Against Malta, Santos looks set to utilize his favored 4-2-3-1 formation and has seemingly settled on a starting eleven.
Alexandros Tzorvas appears to have beaten out Kostas Chalkias for a place in goal while Avraam Papadopoulos and Sokratis Papastathopoulos will renew their partnership in central defense supported by fullbacks Giorgos Tzavellas (left) and Vasilis Torosidis (right). Panathinaikos’ Kostas Katsouranis and Giorgos Karagounis will be the duo in the center of the park with Sotiris Ninis on the right and Georgios Samaras operating on the left flank. Dimitris Salpingidis will be the lone frontman, with Nikos Lymberopoulos tucking in behind him in a supporting role.
Malta meanwhile may have lost all four of their qualifying matches to date and be the big underdogs for this qualifier, however John Buttigieg’s team have reason to enter this match with confidence. For starters, the national side are coming off a superb result, a 0-0 draw against Switzerland in February.
Also something that will give Maltese supporters hope is the team’s decent historical record against Greece. In matches played in Malta, Greece have won only one of four meetings since the two teams’ first match in 1970. And even that latest victory, a EURO 2008 qualifier, came in difficult fashion with Greece needing a penalty-kick by Angelos Basinas to take home a 1-0 win.
There is even talk of an upset within the Malta camp as evidenced by captain Michael Mifsud’s comments earlier this week, “Greece have a glorious record in the European Championship, but I do believe that if we get out there and play with a big heart we can get a very good result.”
In a press conference this week, manager Buttigieg expressed his belief that his side were ready for the task facing them against a Greek team he described as one of the favorites to qualify for EURO 2012. The good news for Malta is that they too will be able to select from a full squad with Roderick Briffa overcoming recent injury to be declared fully fit.
Greece are the big favorites to claim the three points in this one, however they will know that they have tripped up against Malta before and will have to put in a good performance over the 90 minutes to win the match and keep pace with Group F leaders Croatia.
