Greece
THE MANAGER...Greece will be led into defending their trophy by German manager Otto Rehhagel. 'King Otto' as he is known has been manager since 2001 and has almost Greek God status after creating one of the greatest footballing shocks by winning Euro 2004.
Rehhagel had a distinguished playing career with Hertha Berlin and Kaiserslautern in the late 60s and 70s before moving into management where he held the top job at clubs such as Werder Bremen, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. Rehhagel became the first man to be involved in 1000 games in the Bundesliga as a player and a coach, a record he is very proud of.
Such is the status of King Otto he has just signed a new deal with the Greeks that will take him through to 2010.
QUALIFYING STAGES...
Greece qualified for Euro 2008 by winning their group and amassing the highest points total of any finalist with 31 points. It wasn't all plain sailing for Rehhagel's side though as they also suffered one of their most humiliating defeats ever by losing 4-1 at home to bitter rivals Turkey.
Here is the Group C qualifying table...
| Teams | Pld | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | 12 | 15 | 31 |
| Turkey | 12 | 14 | 24 |
| Norway | 12 | 16 | 23 |
| Bosnia-Herzegovina | 12 | -6 | 13 |
| Moldova | 12 | -7 | 12 |
| Hungary | 12 | -11 | 12 |
| Malta | 12 | -21 | 5 |
THEIR GROUP...
Greece have been drawn in a very competitive Group D for the big tournament and will face and will face Spain, Russia and Sweden.
PLAYERS TO WATCH...
Vasillis Torosidis... One of the new breed, Torosidis is one of the hottest properties in Greek football right now. The 22-year-old versatile defender has already won 11 caps for his country and has been outstanding for Olympiakos this season. This is definetely one to watch.
Traianos Dellas... Dellas, pictured, is one of the veterans of the Greek squad and was outstanding in the team that won Euro 2004, gaining a place in the tournament's All Star team.. The AEK Athens man mountain has had his problems with injury over the last few years but has been back to his best of late and could be relied on to add experience to the Greek side.Angelos Charisteas... Striker Charisteas is another of the Euro 2004 veterans and scored three goals during the Greeks qualifying campaign. The 28 year old moved to FC Nuremberg last season and is another player who coach Rehhagel will be looking to bring experience to his side and hopefully score the goals.
THE KIT...Greece play in kit made by Adidas.
Their home kit consists of white top, white shorts and white socks with blue stripes. The away kit is a blue top, blue shorts and blue socks with white stripes.
Buy the Greek home and away strip here...
THEIR CHANCES...
Greece shocked the world by winning Euro 2004 when everyone had written them off against Portugal in the final. Coach Rehhagel is a proven master tactician but will have to have his side at their very best to get out of their group and have any chance of retaining their title. They will be tough to break down but I can't see them getting enough to make the second stages.
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