Santos Admits to Tough Decisions

Greece coach, Fernando Santos, has admitted that one of his toughest decisions when choosing his provisional 25-man squad for next month’s European Championships was which three goalkeepers to pick.

The 57-year-old former FC Porto and Benfica coach, who has been in charge of the Greece team since 2010, has opted to include Michalis Sifakis, Kostas Chalkias, and Alexandros Tzorvas.

However, he said: “There were five or six players in with a good chance of making the cut. In the end, I chose the goalkeepers who have had more time with the national squad, who played more matches in qualifying.”

Panathinaikos goalkeeper, Orestis Karnezis, was one shot-stopper to miss out on a place in the squad, with Santos explaining: “He played with us once, in the last friendly, but I believe he is not yet ready, he lacks the experience for such a competition.”

Santos has also opted to include the veteran striker, Nikos Liberopoulos, in his squad.

The 36-year-old, who currently plies his trade with AEK Athens, only featured twice in qualifying but has enjoyed a fine domestic season. He has been chosen instead of PAOK striker, Stefanos Athanasiadis.

Santos will take his players to Austria on 22nd May for a pre-tournament training camp.  Greece will play two friendlies while they are there – against Slovenia, on 26th May, and Armenia, five days later.

When the action gets underway in Poland and Ukraine, Greece will face the joint hosts Poland, the Czech Republic, and Russia in Group A. Gamble on Greece’s group with Euro 2012 Group A Betting.

Alternatively, if your football loyalties lie with Germany, Holland, Portugal, or Denmark, check out the Euro 2012 Group B Betting on Betfair.