Greece prepares for Norway

Coach Otto Rehhagel, now six years into job, hopes to lead team a step closer to Euro 2008

The Greek team, five points clear in its group, at training yesterday ahead of next Wednesday’s Euro 2008 qualifier in Oslo.

European soccer champion Greece, the frontrunner in Group C for the Euro 2008 finals, takes on Norway in Olso next Wednesday with coach Otto Rehhagel having just clocked up six years at the national team’s helm.

Rehhagel took over a weak and undisciplined squad to instill order and team spirit into a Greek team that went on to produce one of international soccer’s greatest upsets at Euro 2004 in Portugal. Rehhagel sat on the Greek bench for the first time on September 5, 2001, for a 5-1 thrashing, away, from Finland in a World Cup qualifier. Greece, already out of contention for the finals, returned a different side in its next official game, its last in that failed World Cup campaign. Rehhagel and his men gave England a huge scare at Manchester. England snatched its World Cup finals berth with an injury-time equalizer against Greece.

“He is by far the most successful coach in Greek soccer, both at national and club level. My hope is that his six years spent with the national team will become ten years,” Greek soccer federation chief Vassilis Gagatsis told local sports daily SportDay.

Currently five points clear in Group C, just past the half-way mark in qualifying competition, Greece looks likely to reach the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey and Norway are tied in second place with 13 points each. Turkey, though, has a game in hand. The top two qualify.

Rehhagel has recalled Eintracht Frankfurt striker Yiannis Amanatidis, back from injury, as well as defenders Giorgos Anatolakis and Takis Fyssas. Panathinaikos striker Dimitris Papadopoulos, who played in Greece’s recent 3-2 friendly defeat at home against Spain, was not called up for the upcoming encounter in Oslo. Rehhagel has also left out several players because of injury, including Angelos Charisteas, who is struggling with a thigh injury. Defender Michalis Kapsis, now with Cypriot club APOEL, has also been sidelined by injury, while Bolton’s Stelios Giannakopoulos is recovering from surgery.