New faces to play in finale
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel intends to field peripheral squad members for his team’s final Euro 2008 qualifier, away against Hungary tomorrow night, he told reporters in Athens yesterday. «Changes will be made to the team. Players who have so far been sidelined and want to show they deserve to be regular members of the team will be used,» said Rehhagel, whose team secured its berth for the Euro 2008 finals with a win against Turkey in Istanbul two rounds before the campaign’s finale. The triumph was followed up by a 5-0 thrashing of Malta at home last Saturday that secured top spot in Group C for Greece. Even so, Rehhagel said his team would also push for victory against Hungary tomorrow in a bid to improve its FIFA ranking which would ensure Greece a more favorable draw for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. «We’re going for victory and need to be serious about the game because three points will help us for the World Cup qualifiers.» Greece leads its Euro 2008 qualifying group with 28 points from 11 games. Second-placed Turkey, seven points behind, would also secure its finals berth with a win against visiting Bosnia-Herzegovina. Norway, third and one point behind Turkey, is hosted by Malta.
