Greece coach Gus Poyet names squad for Malta friendly

Gus Poyet has named 25 players to his Greece squad as they will face Malta in an international friendly on November 17.

The Greek national team will be also facing Hungary, three days after rubbing shoulders with the Maltese side at the National Stadium, in Ta’ Qali.

The core of the squad is composed of players plying their trade in the Greek league, especially established members of giants Olympiacos, Panathinaikos and AEK Athens.

Giorgos Kyriakopolous of Sassuolo, Norwich City’s Dimitris Giannoulis, Hull City’s Dimitris Pelkas and captain Tasos Bakasetas (Trabzonspor) are among the players included.

Greece, surprise winners in the 2004 edition, were drawn in Group B alongside giants Netherlands and France. Moreover, they will be also facing Republic of Ireland – one of Malta’s opponents in November – and minnows Gibraltar.

Poyet’s side are at the back of a successful League C campaign in the Nations League having topped their group, securing promotion to League B.

Under Poyet, whose first game was in March 2022, Greece scored six wins in eight games as they scored 11 goals in the process.

SQUAD:

Goalkeeper: Vasilis Barkas (Utrecht), Alexandros Paschalakis (Olympiacos), Giorgios Athanasiadis (AEK Athens).

Defenders: Giorgos Tzavellas (AEK Athens), Pantelis Chatzidiakos (AZ Alkmaar), Dimitris Giannoulis (Norwich City), Panos Retsos (Olympiacos), Giorgios Kyriakopolous (Sassuolo), Lazaros Rota (AEK Athens), Dimitris Goutas (Sivasspor), Giannis Kotsiras (Panathinaikos), Dinos Koulierakos (PAOK).

Midfielders: Petros Mantalos (AEK Athens), Andreas Bouchalakis (Olympiacos), Dimitris Kourbelis (Panathinaikos), Dimitris Pelkas (Hull City), Manolis Siopis (Trabzonspor), Sotiris Alexandropolous (Sporting CP), Giannis Papanikolau (Rakow).

Forwards: Tasos Bakasetas (Trabzonspor), Giorgos Masouras (Olympiacos), Tasos Douvikas (Utrecht), Taxiarchis Fountas (D.C United), Tasos Chatzigiovanis (Ankaragucu), Fotis Ioannidis (Panathinaikos).