Greekaroos

With four matches remaining Greece have a slight advantage over Bosnia and Herzegovina for the 2nd place play-off spot in Group H. Both teams are up against the same four teams in the remaining matches only that Greece are a point in front & play three of it's four matches at home while Bosnia and Herzegovina are away for all but the Belgium match.

GREECE - BELGIUM WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION UEFA - 3 SEPTEMBER 2017 World Cup Qualification UEFA match between Greece and Belgium starts at 20:45 on 3 September 2017. http://www.eurosport.com/football/world-cup-qualification-uefa/2018/greece-belgium_mtc802222/live.shtml

In Friday’s qualifier against Bosnia, Greece international Sokratis Papastathopoulos picked up a yellow card in the first half (foul on Dzeko) and will be suspended for Greece’s next qualifier again Estonia. Greece will host Estonia at the Karaiskakis stadium on August 31st for matchday seven of World Cup qualifying. Although Papastathopoulos’ absence is a big blow to the Greek defense, good news is that Kyriakos Papadopoulos will return to the team after serving a two-game suspension for his straight red card in November’s fixture against Bosnia. Papadopoulos will likely replace Sokratis in Greece’s backline for the fixture against Estonia. With Sokratis set to serve his suspension against Estonia, he will be available for Greece's important game against Belgium four days later.

Good result. At least it's still in Greece's hands for one of the top two places & not having to rely too much on other results going their way.

BOSNIA-GREECE SOLD OUT IN HOURS The importance of the Bosnia-Herzegovina-Greece World Cup Qualifier next Friday has been long discussed. It is the most crucial fixture yet in the two teams’ bid to qualify for Russia 2018. For Bosnian supporters, there is also little doubt of the importance of the fixture and this week all 12,000 tickets on sale for the match were snapped in a matter of four hours. The qualifier is set to be played in the small, but intimidating, confines of the Bilino Polje Stadium in the city of Zenica in central Bosnia (43 miles north of Sarajevo). As expected, Bosnian fans were quick to make the match a sell-out in the 15,600 capacity stadium and the Ethniki will surely be set to walk into an electric atmosphere. There will be Greeks in the stadium however, in particular an official contingent from the fan club Galanolefkos Faros.

I think this match will end up 1-1 again.

Panagiotis Glykos suffered a torn ACL injury in training which will likely leave him out of action for four to six months. At best he would of been third choice behind Karnezis & Kapino.

Dimitrios Siovas will stay at Spanish La Liga football club CD Leganes on a permanent contract after having spent the second half of this season at the club on loan from Olympiacos FC. http://www.redking.gr/content/football/22367-symfwnhsan-siobas-leganes

Lazaros would fit into the Smurf FC team but the other two wouldn't work out because Arnold wants workaholic.

The above team was from xxxyyyzzz (spam) which personally I don't fully agree. Why is it that Dimitrios Siovas was selected while at Olympiacos playing in a dominant team, marking very average strikers compared to what he is currently up against, marking Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Torres & many more of the worlds best in the Spanish La Liga? Siovas arrived at CD Leganes in January this year on loan from Olympiacos at a time when they were really struggling defensively, looking almost certain to being relegated & has now become a crowd favorite with Leganes fans after playing a huge roll in helping CD Leganes stay in the Spanish La Liga. In my opinion Siovas would go into a very difficult away match against some world class attacking players which Bosnia & Herzegovina has & would of been match toughened & ready to do a great job marking players similar to what he is up against every week in Spain. My team for the away Bosnia match with all those suspended & injured player out is: ---------------------Karnezis------------------------ --------Manolas-----Sokratis--------Siovas------- Torosidis----------------------------------Stafylidis ------------Maniatis------------Zeca--------------- ---Fortounis---------------------------Mantalos--- ---------------------Mitroglou-----------------------

SKIBBE SET FOR BIG DECISIONS AHEAD OF BOSNIA MATCH The Greek National Team’s crucial match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in European Qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching. The away qualifier, to be played at the Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica on June 9th, is a vital match that could go a long way in determining Greece’s chances for a place at Russia 2018. In the coming weeks, Ethniki boss Michael Skibbe will announce the squad for that crucial qualifier. And Skibbe will have some big decisions to make as five players will miss the match against the Bosnians. Andreas Samaris, Giorgos Tzavellas, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, and Panagiotis Tachtsidis are all ruled out due to suspension, with Samaris having accumulated yellows while Tzavellas and Tachtsidis were both sent off in the team’s last qualifier against Belgium. Kyriakos Papadopoulos will be serving his final match suspension for his actions against Bosnia in Greece. Also absent from the team will be long-term injury victim Nikos Karelis. Skibbe is widely reported to be interested in calling up left-back Babis Lykogiannis for the first time. The Sturm Graz player has impressed with his performances as of late putting himself in the frame for a call-up to the senior team after having represented Greece at youth level. Another player to have represented Greece’s younger national teams is also in line for a first call-up. Panathinaikos’ Dimitris Kourbelis could be selected as a back-up defensive midfielder. It’s a big question whether Skibbe will call up Kourbelis and also keep faith in the young talent that were drafted into the squad recently. The smart money is that the German manager will hold onto the likes of Thanasis Androutsos and bring in Kourbelis and Giorgos Manthatis. It wouldn’t exactly be called a youth revolution, however it would a clear sign that Skibbe values what young Greek talent can bring to the table. Goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis is set for a return to the team meaning that more than likely Dimitris Kyriakidis will be dropped from the squad. There could be some more surprises depending on injuries, however for now the squad is expected comprise of the players that were selected for the Belgium match. Below is the predicted squad for the match against Bosnia: Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis, Stefanos Kapino, Panagiotis Glykos Defenders: Kostas Manolas, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Vasilis Torosidis, Marios Oikonomou, Kostas Stafylidis, Babis Lykogiannis Midfielders: Zeca, Manolis Siopis, Kostas Fortounis, Giannis Maniatis, Petros Mantalos, Alexandros Tziolis, Thanasis Androutsos, Dimitris Kourbelis Forwards: Kostas Mitroglou, Giorgos Manthatis, Dimitris Diamantakos, Apostolos Vellios, Giannis Gianniotas, Tasos Bakasetas

Kyriakos Papadopoulos again missing for Hamburg in last nights 2-1 loss away to Werder Bremen.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos was missing from Hamburg's squad in it's overnight 3-0 away Bundesliga loss to Borussia Dortmund whom left Sokratis Papastathopoulos on the bench.

I hope I don't get the prediction right for the Athens match.

On paper Belgium have a awesome squad. Lucky matches aren't played on paper. I will stick to my prediction of 1-1 in Brussels but in Athens it will 1-4 to Belgium.

I question why select six defensive central midfielders in a squad of 23 for one match? Samaris, Maniatis, Tziolis, Zeca, Siopis & Tachtsidis. Probably play with three defensive midfielders & have every one of them covered for god sake that one gets injured.

The sale of Luka Milivojević in middle of the season shows that Marinakis doesn't have the ambitions that Kokkalis had of making Olympiacos a European class team similar to what the basketball team became. I understand players have ambitions to play in a better league but MID-SEASON? Bento did the best with what Marinakis gave him & got sacked with the team 7 points clear on top of the Greek Super League, recently progressed to the Greek Cup Semi-Final & UEFA Europa League Round of 16 plus giving the opportunity to at least three Greek teenagers from the youth team whom have now become regular playing squad members.

I believe this match will make or break Michael Skibbe's managerial career. it has a feel of 7 June 2003, Spain v Greece. Michael Skibbe has two or three uncapped youngsters from the Olympiacos system plus Mystakidis fom PAOK whom could mix in well with the tough & experienced campaigners of Karnezis, Sokratis, Manolas, Torosidis, Tzavellas, Samaris, Fortounis, Mitroglou & maybe a few others whom have been around the squad for quite a while to create the right formula to cause a upset away to Belgium. My prediction is Belgium 1 Greece 1.

It got really ugly for SV Hamburg going down 8-0 to Beyern Munich. The coach will be desperate to get Kyriakos Papadopoulos back in the center of SV Hamburg's defense as the players whom were in SV Hamburg's defense in the 8-0 Munich massacre will be very low in confidence.

He is so injury-prone that I wouldn't be surprised if he damaged his shoulder putting his jersey on or signing a autograph.

Full-time FC Barcelona 2 CD Leganes 1. Leganes had equalized 1-1 in 72nd minute but Messi scored a 90th minute penalty after Neymar was brought down in the penalty area. Siovas was very solid but come off with what seemed like a minor injury in the 87th minute

Dimitrios Siovas is up against the test of all tests for a central defender. He has started for CD Leganes in it's away Spanish La Liga match at the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona & it's Messi, Suarez, Neymar combination up front. It's currently half-time with FC Barcelona leading 1-0 after a 5th minute Messi goal.

You wouldn't think that a shoulder injury should keep him out too long. I'm not sure that he picked up the injury from the match? I didn't see anything that could of injured his shoulder. Could of just slept weird or as we say in Greek "stravo kimithike" & woken up with a stiff neck & shoulder.

Kyriakos Papadopoulos scored the opening goal for Hamburger SV in it's away match away to RB Leipzig which is currently 30 minutes into the German Bundedliga match with Hamburger SV leading 0-2.

Kostas Mitroglou has already scored both of Benfica's goals in the Portugese Primeira Liga match at home against Arouca which is currently in the 39th minute with Benfica leading 2-0.