Yesterday saw our coverage of the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and Ukraine get under way with a look at the Czech Republic’s Fantasy prospects. Staying with Group A, then, it’s time to bring Euro 2004 champions Greece under the microscope:
Fernando Santos’ side are pitted against Poland in the tournament opener, kicking off at 5pm on Friday June 8. They continue their campaign four days later by squaring up to the Czech Republic at 5pm before facing Russia in their final group match on Saturday June 16 at 7.45pm.
Any one of the four countries involved in Group A look to have a chance of finishing in the top two. The Czech Republic secured their place in this summer’s tournament with a play-off win against Montenegro after finishing second in qualifying behind Spain, Russia grabbed top spot in their group at the expense of the Republic of Ireland, while Poland take their place as co-hosts, and will be buoyed by the backing of the home crowd.
The Road to Qualification
Greece were amongst the automatic qualifiers, finishing top of their group ahead of Croatia – seven wins and three draws saw Santos’ men unbeaten over their 10 games. Their solid defence shipped a mere five goals and, with five clean sheets also throw in (two at home and three on the road) they never conceded more than a single goal in any game. They lacked any real cutting edge, however, scoring just 14 goals, and netted more than once away from home on just a single occasion – their must-win final match away to Georgia bringing a 2-1 victory.
Most Appearances: Karagounis & Salpigidis (10), Katsouranis (9), Samaras & Papastathopoulos (8)
Top Scorers: K Papadopoulos, Torisidis, Fetfatzidis (all 2 goals)
Top Assists: Katsouranis (3)
The Likely Lads
Kyriakos Papadopoulos wasn’t selected for the first half of Greece’s qualifying matches but, handed a chance in four of their last five, was a hugely significant figure. The 19 year old netted twice, with goals against Latvia and Malta crucial to his country’s progression and his adaptability means he is capable of playing in central defence or as a holding midfielder within Santos’ preferred 4-3-3 system. His price of 4.5 looks enticing, particularly when compared with the likes of right-back Vasilis Torisidis, who is a full 1.0 more expensive. Papadopoulos was a pivotal figure in Schalke’s recent third place finish in the Bundesliga and could benefit from the recovered balls rule: he was amongst the top four defenders for tackles, interceptions, clearances and aerial duels won in Germany’s top-flight for the 2011/12. For those unconvinced he is 100% nailed-on, the upcoming friendlies against Slovenia and Armenia towards the end of May should give us a more definite answer.
One of only two players to feature in every qualifier, the experience of Giorgos Karagounis on the left of the midfield three will be vital. Although Santos is determined to instill a more youthful vibrancy to the side, the 35 year old still has a part to play and, with free-kicks and corners (shared with Kostas Katsouranis) in his locker, it’s no surprise to see Karagounis the most expensive option from the Greek squad – costing 6.0, though, he’s still relatively light on the budget.
Fanis Gekas looks likely to be the lone forward and arrives in strong form. He played the first half of last season for Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring seven goals in 14 appearances, before a winter move to Samsunspor. His time at the Turkish club has proved fruitful, with Gekas producing eight goals and a couple of assists in just 11 appearances. Priced at just 5.5, and with spot-kick duties in the bag, Gekas looks a decent differential, with 0.9% of Fantasy managers currently snapping up his services.
Cheeky Punt
Nicknamed the Greek Messi, Sotiris Ninis has plenty to live up to. The 22 year old has seen much of his season curtailed by injury and flew under the radar as a result, with not a single appearance over the qualifying program. Snapped up by Parma in March for next term’s Serie A campaign, the highly rated winger was expected to play on the right of the midfield three, though in today’s announcement of the provisional squad, Santos revealed he sees Ninis as more of an attacking option, putting Fantasy managers on alert. Priced as a 5.5 midfielder, he could well be an out-of-position proposition, with just 1.7% ownership thus far.
Given their strong defensive showings in qualifying, a cut-price Greek keeper could be an inspired move and today’s squad announcement had a couple of surprises, with Dionisis Chiotis missing out. While both Michalis Sifakis and Alexandros Tzorvas (priced at 4.0, he is currently the most popular pick with 7.2% ownership) have made the cut, Santos sprung a surprise by hinting Kostas Chalkias could be his number one – the PAOK man has yet to be included in the McDonalds game. With questions still unanswered over the first choice keeper, those upcoming friendlies will be keenly analysed by Fantasy managers – it may well be an unnecessary risk if the situation isn’t any clearer ahead of the Poland game.
Santos gave Fantasy managers an early warning of his intentions to rotate earlier today, however, going on to say he will select players who:
can better adapt to the opponent. In a tournament with matches every four days, you will probably require changes in every match.
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