Greece

In the last few years, Greece has slowly but surely establishing itself as a team to reckon with. In the World Cup, it almost denied England a place by drawing 2-2 and it was only a last minute free kick by David Beckam that saved England. Under coach Otto Rehhagel, Greece has improved a lot. The qualifiers turned out to be disastrous for the team, having lost the first two games to Ukraine and Spain. But it went on to leverage upon its fighting qualities and bounced back to the top of the group. This resilience has been the strength for Greece.

Defending Champions Greece will look to defend their title with around half of the players who triumphed in Portugal, as well some useful additions brought in by coach Otto Rehhagel since then. Though Theodoros Zagorakis, who captained Greece to their first major trophy four years ago, has retired, Rehhagel can boast no shortage of experienced and versatile players. Rehhagel relied on a 4-3-3 formation for much of the qualifying campaign, but with tougher opponents ahead, he may be inclined to switch to 4-4-2 in Austria and Switzerland. A tactical shift may or may not be rewarding.

Veteran Antonios Nikopolidis is still the first choice to guard the goal post, although Konstantinos Chalkias was also used to positive effect in qualifying. In defence, the towering Traianos Dellas and Sotirios Kyrgiakos - who played in every minute of Greece's qualifying campaign - look sure of starting places, with Giourkas Seitaridis maintaining his position on the right. Vassilios Torosidis looks the most likely choice at left-back while his Olympiacos CFP team-mates Paraskevas Antzas and Christos Patsatzoglou have the ability to slot in across the back when and where required. A defence that opponents will certainly have to struggle to beat.

Paraskevas Antzas and Christos Patsatzoglou can also play in central midfield, although they are unlikely to dislodge captain Angelos Basinas and Konstantinos Katsouranis from the defensive midfield positions they have occupied since UEFA EURO 2004. Forward, Georgios Karagounis will continue in his playmaking role. Up front, Theofanis Gekas looks a certain first-choice having proved his scoring ability and counterattacking abilities. The Coach has a useful supporting cast including Ioannis Amanatidis, a left-winger or a striker and supersub Nikolaos Liberopoulos. Stelios Giannakopoulos, Angelos Charisteas and Georgios Samaras are also pushing for places. Rehhagel has plenty to choose from.

Greece Euro Squad