Squad named for Saudi tournament this month

Greece readies for friendlies with host, Korean Republic

Midfielder Panayiotis Lagos — here in action with his club Iraklis — is one of several newer faces called up by coach Otto Rehhagel for the upcoming Riyadh tournament.

Greece named an 18-member squad yesterday for an international friendly tournament in Saudi Arabia between January 21-25.

The national team is scheduled to play the Korean Republic on the tournament’s opening day and the host nation on January 25.

Both of Greece’s opponents have qualified for this summer’s World Cup finals in Germany. Korea booked their sixth consecutive finals appearance by finishing runner-up behind a Saudi side that impressed by going through qualifying undefeated in Asian Zone competition.

For Greece, which failed to qualify for the World Cup finals, the tournament in Riyadh marks an early step in preparations for Euro 2008 qualifiers that begin later this year.

The national team’s ranks include 20-year-old midfielder Panayiotis Lagos of Thessaloniki club Iraklis, who has yet to play in official international competition. He was called up for the first time in a recent friendly against Hungary. Several others, too, have had minimal playing experience with the national, including strikers Vangelis Mantzios of Panathinaikos and Dimitris Salpigidis of PAOK, both expected to play key roles in the national team’s future commitments.

The Greek soccer federation had planned to announce the squad today, but the Iraklis club, presumably delighted by the news of Lagos’s selection, jumped the gun yesterday and prompted the federation to announce the rest of the squad.

Coach Otto Rehhagel is expected to attend an upcoming Greek league match between Panathinaikos and Larissa, involving seven of his squad’s members.