World Cup Qualifying: Scotland vs. Greece Preview
World Cup Qualifying: Scotland vs. Greece
Venue: Hampden, Glasgow Date: Thursday, 9 October Time: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Watch live on BBC Scotland & iPlayer; listen live on BBC Sounds, Radio Scotland & Radio Nan Gaidheal; follow live updates, goal clips, and engage in conversation on the BBC Sport website & app.
Scotland fans who witnessed their team being overwhelmed by a young Greek side at Hampden in March might have been surprised to see Greece themselves fall to Denmark in September. The Danish team, which had struggled to create significant chances against Scotland just days earlier in Copenhagen, managed to score three goals against Greece, who had started their World Cup qualifying campaign with an impressive 5-1 victory over Belarus.
This raises questions about how a talented young Greek team could be so thoroughly defeated by Denmark after their strong performance against Scotland. More importantly, which version of Greece will appear at Hampden on Thursday, with a World Cup spot at stake?
Lessons Scots Must Learn from March
The match against Denmark appears to be an anomaly considering Greece's other performances, which is perhaps expected from a young squad. On that occasion, Denmark effectively neutralized the threats posed by Kostas Karetsas, Giannis Konstantelias, and Christos Tzolis, all of whom had caused problems for Scotland at Hampden, scoring during that encounter.
Particularly, Scotland's captain Andy Robertson faced challenges from 17-year-old Karetsas, who made a significant impact during his debut in the first leg against Scotland. Following that match, Karetsas' reputation has only grown. Although there were concerns he might miss Thursday's match due to illness, he trained on Wednesday, and head coach Ivan Jovanovic stated he would be evaluated until kick-off.
The stark contrast between the Denmark game and the earlier match at Hampden, along with convincing friendly victories over Slovakia and Bulgaria, highlights that the Danes did not allow Greece's young talents to shine. They were denied the time and space they had previously enjoyed, a lesson Scotland must take to heart.
Jovanovic is unlikely to abandon his commitment to this promising generation, even after the recent setback. If Karetsas is fit to start, he is expected to join Konstantelias and Tzolis in support of Benfica's Vangelis Pavlidis. In midfield, 31-year-old Dimitris Kourbelis was selected against Denmark, but 18-year-old Christos Mouzakitis could return to partner Christos Zafeiris, both of whom performed well at Hampden.
Defensively, 21-year-old Dinos Koulierakis has already established himself as a first-choice player, while 22-year-old goalkeeper Konstantis Tzolakis has started the first two qualifiers and also played in the previous matches against Scotland. The lineup has remained consistent, and one poor result will not alter that. Scotland will face familiar opponents and must leverage the lessons learned from both March and September to maintain their positive momentum in World Cup qualification.