Sports Mole previews Thursday’s Nations League clash between Greece and England, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
England will be out for revenge when they travel to the Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis in Athens to face Greece in their penultimate League B Group 2 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday.
The Three Lions suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to the Blues and Whites at Wembley Stadium last month courtesy of two goals from Vangelis Pavlidis, including a 94th-minute winner.
Match preview
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England’s encounter with Greece on Thursday will represent the first match since the appointment of new head coach Thomas Tuchel, the Three Lions’ third foreign manager who was unveiled as Gareth Southgate‘s successor on October 16 and has penned an 18-month contract.
However, the German – formerly of Bayern Munich and Chelsea – will not officially take the reins until January of next year, so Lee Carsley will remain in interim charge for England’s final two Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland this month.
Carsley’s experimental team selection in England’s chastening defeat at the hands of Greece backfired in disappointing fashion last month, but the Three Lions quickly bounced back with a 3-1 victory against Finland in Helsinki, keeping their hopes of League B promotion alive and setting a new national team record in the process.
Ranked fourth in the world by FIFA, England currently sit second in their Nations League group and three points behind leaders Greece. Victory by at least a two-goal margin on Thursday will see them climb to the summit on goal difference with one final game remaining.
England have won their last two Nations League away matches by two-goal margins (the aforementioned Finland win and a 2-0 victory over Ireland), while they have won all four of their previous visits to Greece by an aggregate score of 9-1 – only against Luxembourg (5/5) do the Three Lions hold a better 100% win rate away from home against another country.
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Since the appointment of head coach Ivan Jovanovic in August, Greece have won all four Nations League matches in their maiden League B campaign, scoring nine goals and conceding only one, and they are on the verge of securing promotion to League A for the first time in their history.
After collecting maximum points in victories without reply against Finland and Ireland, Greece secured their first-ever win at the 10th time of asking against England on an emotional night at Wembley, following the tragic passing of 12-cap international George Baldock at the age of just 31.
The Blue and Whites returned to home soil just three days later and preserved their perfect record in League B with a 2-0 success over Ireland, courtesy of second-half goals from Anastasios Bakasetas and Petros Mantalos.
Greece, who have climbed 12 places in the FIFA World Rankings up to 42nd since July, know that victory over England on Thursday will guarantee top spot in their group with one game to spare, while a draw would also be enough to cement their place at the summit based on their head-to-head record.
Jovanovic’s men will fancy their chances of further success against the Three Lions in front of their own fans, as they have won eight and drawn two of their 11 Nations League home matches, impressively keeping a clean sheet in nine of those games.
Greece Nations League form:
Greece form (all competitions):
England Nations League form:
England form (all competitions):
Team News
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Greece midfielder Dimitrios Kourbelis will serve a one-match ban due to an accumulation of yellow cards, so either Petros Mantalos, Christos Zafeiris or Sotiris Alexandropoulos could deputise alongside Cardiff City’s Manolis Siopis.
Odysseas Vlachodimos has struggled for game time at Newcastle United this season, but he is regarded as the number one goalkeeper for his country and is expected to start between the sticks on Thursday, while Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas and West Ham United’s Konstantinos Mavropanos are both set to start in defence.
After scoring a brace in the reverse fixture with England, Pavlidis could continue to lead the line, although Fotis Ioannidis – who scored three goals in Greece’s opening two Nations League games – is back in the squad after recovering from injury. Greece have never lost when Ioannidis has been on the scoresheet (W3 D1).
As for England, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill and Aaron Ramsdale have all pulled out of Carsley’s squad, while John Stones, Kobbie Mainoo, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Eberechi Eze were all omitted due to injury.
Morgan Rogers, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Lewis Hall have all received their first senior call-ups, while Jarrod Bowen, Jarrad Branthwaite, Valentino Livramento and James Trafford were all called up along with Rogers on Monday evening.
Kyle Walker remains in the squad despite being a fitness doubt, and it remains to be seen whether he will start at right-back ahead of either Livramento, Ezri Konsa or Man City teammate Rico Lewis, who is also in contention to start at left-back along with Hall.
The absence of Rice could see Lille’s Angel Gomes partner Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher in centre-midfield, while Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon may all link up in the final third with central striker and captain Harry Kane.
Greece possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Siopis, Mantalos; Masouras, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Pavlidis
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Konsa, Guehi, Lewis; Gomes, Gallagher; Madueke, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane
We say: Greece 1-2 England
The pressure is on Carsley to steer England to an important victory and the onus will be on his team to take the game to Greece, who have impressed on home soil and have made themselves difficult to break down in front of their own supporters.
England may be without several star players who Carsley would have liked to have selected in his side for this fixture, but he still has a wealth of talent at his disposal and if he names a less-experimental side that includes Kane leading the line, then the Three Lions should just about get the job done in Athens.
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