Greece v Russia [Euro 2012 Group A]
V
Venue - National Stadium, Warsaw
Live Streams - http://www.wiziwig.tv/broadcast.php?...53&part=sports
TEAM NEWS
Greek keeper Kostas Chalkias is out after injuring his hamstring against the Czechs, so Michalis Sifakis starts.
Centre-back Avraam Papadopoulos is unlikely to play again this year, but Sokratis Papastathopoulos is available after a one-match suspension.
Kostas Katsouranis is therfore likely to move back into the midfield.
Russia appear to have a fully-fit starting XI, but Advocaat may consider replacing centre forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov with Roman Pavlyuchenko.MATCH PREVIEW
It's do-or-die for Euro 2004 winners Greece. Fernando Santos's plucky, battling outfit sit bottom of Group A and must beat Russia - something no team has done in 16 matches - to go through to the last eight. "My faith in my team is total," says Santos. "We have to focus and believe that it is possible."
Russia can qualify with any result: even if they suffer a shock defeat, unless the Greeks topple them by six clear goals they progress if the Czechs and Poles draw. Yet they'd be well advised to think of European football's James Bond in the tunnel to guard against complacency. Yes, it's ifs and buts. But, Germany (relaxed, invincible, super-smooth) - the likely Group B winners - are odds-on to be waiting to tear into the Group A runners-up in the quarters. So Dick Advocaat - who leaves for PSV Eindoven after Euro 2012 - will urge his men to guarantee top spot with a win, if he has gone any sense.
Goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev, one of seven Zenit St Petersburg players who have started both of Russia's Euro 2012 matches off the back of winning the Russian Premier League in May, seems to know the score - quite literally. "We need to forget that a draw will also put us into the knockout stage and score. Once, twice... as much as we can," he said. As well as a mean defence - they have conceded just four times in their last 13 games - the Group A leaders possess a goal threat all over the park. Young CSKA Moscow star Alan Dzagoev has already scored three so far, Roman Shirokov is in sensational form, and Roman Pavyluchenko is breathing down Aleksandr Kerzhakov's neck to start.LINE-UPS Greece v Russia
Greece: Sifakis, Torosidis, Papastathopoulos, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, Tzavelas, Katsouranis, Maniatis, Salpingidis, Karagounis, Samaras, Gekas. Subs: Chalkias, Malezas, Makos, Liberopoulos, Mitroglou, Fotakis, Ninis, Holebas, Fortounis, Fetfatzidis, Tzorvas.
Russia: Malafeev, Aniukov, Berezutsky, Ignashevich, Zhirkov, Shirokov, Denisov, Glushakov, Dzagoev, Kerzhakov, Arshavin. Subs: Akinfeev, Sharonov, Izmailov, Pavlyuchenko, Kombarov, Granat, Pogrebnyak, Nababkin, Semshov, Shunin.
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden)
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
- Greece have only beaten Russia once in the past 10 meetings between the two nations.
- The Russians beat Greece in the group stages of both Euro 2008 and Euro 2004.
- Their most recent clash was a 1-1 friendly draw last year.
Greece
- The Greeks have scored just one goal in each of their past seven matches (winning just once).
- In their three previous European Championships tournaments to date, Greece have either finished bottom of their group or won the competition outright (as they did in 2004).
- They have not won any of their past five Euro matches since winning the tournament in 2004.
- Salpingidis took his tally to five international goals in under 12 months against Poland on match-day one - two more than he had managed in his previous six years with the national team.
Russia
- They are now 16 matches unbeaten (W8, D8) since a 1-0 friendly defeat to Iran in February 2011.
- Their defence has conceded just four times in their last 13 games.
- Dick Advocaat's side have scored from five of their seven shots on targets so far at Euro 2012.
- Five of their past seven goals at major tournaments have been scored (1) or set up (4) by Arshavin.
- Eleven of the current squad were also at Euro 2008, where the Russians reached the semi-finals.
- Only two squad members were playing outside their country at the end of the season, a transitional 14-month 44-match campaign as Russia switches to a western European-like winter season.
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),goodbye russia.
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