SQUAD Greece (A) - Gibralter (H) June 2023

Anything less than a win is a bad result though, in the context of the group. It's not that Greece are necessarily a bad team or anything (they're not great but they're not terrible either), it's that, put simply, in the context of the group it's a must win game. If we were in a different group a point here would be fine, but we're not so there's no point saying a point is good - because it isn't this time around.

Can't remember if I posted this here or not. If you think of it like this - one, or possibly both, of France and the Netherlands will win in Athens, so if we want to keep pace with them and have a chance of finishing second, we have to match that result, so a win is vital.

For sure Tets, but that's all conjecture, the Greeks could go to Amsterdam and draw and draw again with them in Athens - people are acting like the Greeks are somehow inferior to us when any objective analysis would at the very least place them on a par, so if we have a chance of beating the Dutch (and that remains a huge ask, people got carried away with their opening day defeat imo when they were missing half their first team), then so do the Greeks. Obviously we all want a win, but a draw would still be a good result, how good we just wont know until the Group plays out. I still think a draw away in Athens if we can manage it would be a very good result.

Conjecture indeed, it's all conjecture at this point, so is the French and the Dutch rocking up to Athens and both winning. The Greeks drew away to Spain 1-1 in the World Cup Qualifying campaign in 2021, and only lost 1-0 in Athens to them. They also beat Sweden 2-1 in Athens in the same campaign and took 4 points off Georgia. They are a decent well organised outfit who will trouble all of the teams in the Group, to what extent we will all have to wait and see, but a draw out there on Friday cant be seen as a bad result imo.

The smart money has switched from the 1-1 draw to a one goal defeat in the last few years unfortunately. We're now narrowly losing the games we used to draw.

if Ferguson lives up to the hype we'll soon be winning those games 2-1

In a game where there are likely to be very few big chances, I just wouldn't trust Parrott to put that one big chance away. 

Looking at what I posted earlier regarding the team and having digested some of the interviews etc. I'm now inclined to think O'Dowda will start ahead of McClean as he is probably the better bet for retaining possession, which we will have to do in the testing conditions. I'd also switch Smallbone over to the RHS, due to both his link up play with Doherty in the Latvia game for the hour they were on the pitch together and also for his set piece delivery. It seems the medical team are happy with O'Shea's fitness, so I'm happy to go with him, nice to have a settled back 3.

I'd now go with the following, with Johnston to replace Knight for the last quarter and Obafemi to get a spin out if we badly need a goal. Idah for Ferguson at some point if Evan runs out of legs in the heat. Browne, Mc Grath and McClean can all inject a bit of energy if required. Still dont see him going with 2 up top.

Bazunu