The competitive action for the Euro 2024 qualifiers begins again, with our National team welcoming that of Ireland at the “OPAP Arena” (21:45).
Of course, the match in question is crucial, as after the victory over Gibraltar at Faro, our representative group wants victory at all costs, in order to maintain its hopes of qualifying for the finals of the competition. It is recalled that the first two teams they will get the ticket for the European championship in Germany, while if Greece does not finish in any of them, it will have one more chance through the Nations League.
This will be it first official National team game at AEK’s new stadium, as the one against Lithuania last March was a friendly. With the crowd on their side, our representative group will take the match very seriously in order to win a victory that may seem very decisive, after the end of the qualifiers. Until last night, around 14,000 tickets had been made available, while there is optimism that the number of Greek fans in the stands will reach 20,000.
As for the lineup, this one it is not expected to have any surprises. It is most likely that Vlachodemos will start under the goalposts, Baldok with Tsimika at the ends of the defense and Hadzidiakos, Mavropanos in the center of it. Siopis at “6”, Mandalos at “8” and Bakasetas at “10” are expected to compose the trio in the midfield area, while one of Giakoumakis or Pavlidis will play at the top of the attack, with the Atlanta United footballer having the lead. Regarding the wings, Pelkas is expected to play on the left “wing”, while on the right Limnios and Masouras will claim a place in a 4-3-3.
Gustavo Poget picks one again highly aggressive system, something that he is used to with teams that are in the size of the National Team, as he chooses a “cutter” in the axis and five offensive players, plus the help they will get from the two backs.
On the contrary, the Ireland they are quite a dangerous team, having several footballers who play in the English league and some of them in the Premier League. Southampton’s Bazunou stands out under the posts, while Matt Doherty, ex-Tottenham footballer and now Atletico Madrid player, plays as a right back-half. Two more players who stand out and play together in attack are Obafemi and Ferguson. The former is distinguished by his speed and finished the season at Burnley, who immediately returned to the halls of English football, while the latter had a very good season in the Brighton shirt, scoring six goals and two assists in 19 games in the Premier League (10 as a basic).
Possible lineups:
Greece (Gustavo Poget, 4-3-3): Vlachodemos, Baldok, Mavropanos, Hatzidiakos, Tsimikas, Siopis, Mandalos, Bakasetas, Limnios (Masouras), Pelkas (Masouras), Giakoumakis (Pavlidis).
Ireland (Stephen Kenny, 3-5-2): Bazunu, Collins, Egan, O’Shea, Doherty, Macklin, Knight, Cullen, Molubi, Ferguson, Obafemi.
Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)
The group score:
Source: Sport Fm
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