Greece v. Canada - The Preview

Tomorrow morning is my cultural armageddon, no doubt about it. For the first time in my adulthood, my country of heritage will be playing my country of residence and citizenship in an international friendly. The match is taking place in Larissa, which is situated between Thessaloníki and Athens. Both teams will use the friendly as a means to prepare for more significant matches in the future, for Canada the Gold Cup tournament in the summer, and for Greece the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers. I would expect plenty of substitutions to be made and various formations to be tried and tested. For a full preview of the match from a Greek persepective, join us after the jump. If you are interested in the Canadian perspective reagrding the match, be sure to visit the fellas at Canadian Soccer News for their analysis. Also, be sure to check this site tomorrow at 9:30 a.m EST for a live chat, it should be fun.

Key Details - Greece v. Canada

When - February 9, 2011

Where - Larissa, Greece - AEL FC Arena

Team News - Greece

Coach Fernando Santos has stated that he will not make as many changes during the match against Canada as he did in an earlier friendly against Austria. He wants to build some sort of consistency in order to prepare the team for their Euro Qualifiers against Malta. Greece will be without Avraam Papadopolous and it is looking like Giorgios Samaras may also miss out due to an injury concern. It is also expected that Santos will start with Vangelis Moras and Sokratis Papastathopolous in the center of defense. Kostas Katsouranis is also an injury concern, but if he manages to get through the final training sessions he will feature in the starting eleven.

At his first press conference Santos stated, "This is a preview for the match against Malta. It is a friendly which is very important, and playing for the national the players must give their all. We want to see the players improve in every game and that they do well in this match against Canada in order to be ready for the upcoming qualifiers. We will look to attack and dictate the play since we are the home team."

Stadium News - AEL FC Arena

The AEL FC Arena, the home ground for Larissa FC, is a small stadium with a capacity of only 18,000. However, it is brand new, having been completed in November of 2010 and will serve as an intimate setting for the Greece - Canada friendly. Below is a video highlighting the stadium.

The King Otto Factor

The rallying cry for the Greeks in this match against Canada is that the game will be the final goodbye for Otto Rehhagel. The friendly represents the chance for the Greek team to send him off in style before he embarks on his retirement from coaching. Before the match King Otto will be honored for his service to Greek football, least of which is the dramatic Euro 2004 triumph, quite a miracle for this small footballing nation. Although there are some seats still available for the match, the stadium is expected to be close to capacity because of the pre-game festivities for the former national team coach.

Fearless Prediction

Greece - Canada (3-1)

There are too many injury concerns for the Canadian team and I do not think they have had the proper preparation for this match against a Greek side that will be looking to impress their former coach, Otto Rehhagel. Furthermore, there is news breaking today that Lars Hirschfeld, Canada's number one keeper, may also be injured, which would further cripple a crumbling Maple Leaf defense. At the end of the day, Greece will be too much for Canada, and the score will reflect that. However, I expect Canada to make a decent account for themselves and play some attractive football.