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The Greek national team arrives in Vilnius with one single goal - to win. Fernando Santos' proteges have no other way out, otherwise their hopes of taking first place and securing an automatic ticket to the planet's championships will greatly diminish.
The winners of the Old Continent's championship in 2004 currently hold the second place in Group G of the qualifying tournament with 10 points. Their position was complicated by a painful defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina at the beginning of this year, after which the Bosnians pulled away from the main rival by three points in the tournament table.
Meanwhile, Lithuania has collected 5 points in five matches and is in fourth place, also trailing behind Slovakia (8 pts), but not losing hope of fighting for higher positions.
Not expecting an easy victory
"We should not dwell on the previous match against Bosnia - these will be different games," said Greek national team captain Giorgos Karagounis about the trip to Vilnius. "We are focused, determined, and feel stronger, so we will only fight for victory."
The experienced 36-year-old player admitted that playing on synthetic turf will be a challenge: "Of course, we do not have experience playing on artificial turf, which will not be a favorable factor. However, the match is too important for us to use that as an excuse."
Wearing the jersey of London's Fulham club, Karagounis praised the Lithuanian national team: "They achieved two good results in the matches against Slovakia (both ended in draws 1-1 - ed.). Therefore, we must be cautious. A match against us will give them extra motivation, so we must give our all if we want to achieve a favorable result. These matches may seem easier theoretically than with some other opponents, but with this mindset, you can suffer a heavy defeat."
Unable to avoid injuries
Injuries have thinned the ranks of the Greek national team before departure. One of the brightest stars, Kyriakos Papadopoulos, will not be able to play, as well as Stelios Malezas, Avraam Papadopoulos, and Nikos Spyropoulos.
Furthermore, before preparing for the match against Lithuania, "Roma" defender Vassilis Torosidis suffered an injury. It is still unclear whether the medical staff will allow him to step onto the field.
"It's a shame that we're not all together due to injuries. However, I am sure that those who will represent the team are ready and will give their all," said Dortmund's Borussia defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos. "We want to win all the remaining matches and take the first place in the group. In Vilnius, we can take the first important step, although it won't be easy, as we have to play on synthetic turf."
He added: "The match will be tough, but we cannot justify fatigue from the season or playing without a full squad. We need three points."
