Greece and Spain refuse to consider their last group match on Wednesday a formality. The Greeks in particular, will aim to leave Euro 2008 on a positive note.
Greece must have expected more from their title-defending campaign but Otto Rehhagel’s men never stood a chance against Sweden and Russia.
Midfielder Angelos Basinas, also part of the 2004 cup-winning squad, is preparing for a genuine battle with Spain:
“Our aim is to perform well and try to get three points. That will make us feel good about ourselves and please the fans who came all the way to Austria to support us.”
Spain manager Luis Aragones is likely to leave first team players David Silva, Carles Puyol and Santi Cazorla out of the starting line-up for this match.
The three players are dealing with minor injuries and will want to focus on getting fit in time for the quarter final instead.
If Spain are to find any motivation, it would be in the memory of their 1-1 draw at Euro 2004. That result helped Greece to advance to the next round and eventually lift the cup, while Spain were left behind in the group phase.
More recently, in August of 2007, Spain beat the Greeks 3-2 in a friendly.
Maybe Greece will score their first goal here. I will go for the magician’s team, Russia coached by Guus Hiddink
