Defender Giannis Maniatis says Greece have no fear of Germany ahead of their Euro 2012 quarter-final clash in Gdansk on Friday.
The Greeks qualified in second spot in Group A following a
surprise 1-0 victory over Russia in their final game, setting up a meeting with
Germany in the final eight.
And Maniatis said Greece, who shocked most observers by
winning the tournament in 2004, are not afraid of Joachim Loew’s side.
“They are one of the best national teams in Europe.
They will be the favourites for the match, but we will have our chances,”
Maniatis said.
“We respect them, we are not afraid of them and we will
give 100 percent on the day. We will try to perform as well as possible. We
believe in ourselves and have proved that by qualifying for the
quarter-finals.”
Maniatis’ fellow defender Grigoris Makos said his team are
well equipped to handle the loss of Avraam Papadopoulos and Giorgos Karagounis
through injury and suspension respectively.
“Everybody in
the team is ready to give their best for the team,” Makos said. “We
have proved that.
“An example was replacing Avraam Papadopoulos, who was
seriously injured, the replacements gave 100 percent. If I am the player who is
going to fill the void left by Giorgos Karagounis, then I hope that I will do
my best and help our team to win the match.”
