The next international break will feature a matchup of two teams going in different directions. Switzerland will head to Greece as they look to figure out who they want to take to Russia for the World Cup. Meanwhile, Greece will look to the next group of players after they failed to make it to Russia.
What To Know About Switzerland
Switzerland finished tied with Portugal on points in their qualification group, but due to goal differential, they were sent to the playoffs. There, Switzerland went through on a 1-0 win at Northern Ireland as Ricardo Rodriguez scored, and then they drew 0-0 at home in the second leg. Haris Seferovic’s four goals led the way in qualification as Switzerland scored 23 goals, but they allowed only seven and that might be their way through in Russia. Their defense is pretty much set as Fabian Schar and Stephan Lichtsteiner both played nine games, while Rodriguez and Johan Djourou both played seven. They’re in a group with Brazil, Costa Rica and Serbia, so Switzerland’s best bet is to defend well and hit on the counterattack, and they’ll look to hone that style over their next few friendly matches.
What To Know About Greece
Greece were also sent to a playoff after finishing second in their qualification group, and then they lost 4-1 at Croatia in the first leg, following with a 0-0 draw at home in the second leg. Sokratis Papastathopoulos scored in the first leg for Greece, who were led by six goals in qualification from Kostas Mitroglou. Vasilis Torosidis scored three as Greece netted 17 goals, but he was the only other player to score more than one goal. Everyone knows Greece can defend, going back to their upset win at Euro 2004. However, Mitroglou and Torosidis are the only Greek players with more than 10 goals for their country, and they’re 29 and 32 years old, respectively. Throw in the fact that Torosidis is a defender and the next mission for Greece is to try and find goals from somewhere, whether it is from a forward or a midfielder.
Outlook
This match on March 23rd might have Greece as the slight favorites at home, but Switzerland has won two and drawn three of their six meetings with Greece. The last one came in Greece in February 2013 and ended up as a 0-0 draw, and both teams should look to use all of their subs for this game as there is no need to risk injury. Look for Switzerland’s top-choice players to make way in the second half, while Greece can afford to mix it up a bit as they’re not playing for anything. That being said, they would like to give their fans something to cheer about after missing out on the World Cup and they have to start looking towards the European Championships in 2020. A draw definitely wouldn’t be out of the question as these two teams have different agendas and might not even go at 100% the entire time.
There are a number of interesting international games coming up. If you’re looking for odds on the international friendlies, check out Play Shangrila to get the odds for matches, props and betting lines to win it all!
