Euro U19:Opponents preview

Euro U19:Opponents preview

By Nikolas Fil,

Greece U19 qualified for the U19 Euro for the first time since 2015, where we got knocked out in the semi finals by Russia. In Malta we will face record holders Spain, Norway and Iceland. Let’s take a look at them and some players to look out for.

 

Spain.



Spain qualified for this years’ Euro through Elite Round group 3 against Denmark, Luxembourg and Ukraine, finishing with a 0-0 draw against Denmark and 2 4-0 wins against Luxembourg and Ukraine.

Record holders having lifted the cup 8 times, 2 against Greece in 2007 and 2012.


With a squad value of 15.000.000 euros, Spain is one of the most valuable teams in the competition. Spain’s Fresneda is the most valuable player, with a value of 10.000.000 euros having been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle and Arsenal but also Borussia Dortmund. This season he has played 16 times for Real Valladolid in La Liga. Another bright star who Greece definitely has to look out for is Ilias Akhomach, captain of the side valued at 3.000.000 euros. Akhomach is a versatile forward, who can play in every position in front. This season he has made 22 appearances for Barca B in Primera Federacion group II scoring once, he has also made 5 appearances in the Youth League scoring also 1 goal. Spain is definitely a very strong team and a real test for Theos’ men.


Norway.



This will be Norway’s 6th appearance in the U19 Euros. After finishing 2nd in Group 10, Norway finished 1st in their Elite round group above 7 time winners France, beating them 2-1 to book their tickets to Malta. Valued at 18.000.000 euros, Norway has the second most valuable squad in the competition, behind Portugal, with Andreas Schjelderup being their most valued player at 9.000.000 euros. Andreas moved to Benfica in January 2023 from Norwegian club Nordsjaelland for 9.000.000 euro. In Portugal he has made 1 appearance for Benfica’s first team and 5 for Benfica’s B team scoring once.In Norway Schjelderup made 17 appearances scoring 10 goals and giving 1 assist.A fast winger who also can score goals, Andreas will be a ones to watch for our National Team.


Iceland.



Probably the weakest team in our group, Iceland will make their U19 Euros debut this summer. Iceland finished 2nd in Group 8 to qualify for Elite Round, where they finished 1st in Group 7 over current holders England, beating them 1-0 on matchday 3. At 2.140.000 euros, Iceland has the 6th most valuable squad in the competition, but as we all know money doesn't score goals so let's see who does that for them. Orri Óskarsson, the on loan from Copenhagen Sonderjyske striker scored 6 goals in the qualifiers to send Iceland to their first ever U19 Euros finals. Orri moved to Copenhagen in the Summer of 2022 for 400.000 euros. So far he has made 9 appearances for the Danish club scoring once, in January 2023 he joined the Icelandic club on loan, where he has scored 3 goals in 8 appearances. The 6 foot 1 forward has already made his debut for the U21s at the age of 18, and he has scored 12 goals for Iceland U19 in 14 games.Overall a good team, who can do a real damage to our chances of qualifying in the next round if we underestimate them.


Hellas Football 


Follow @BVBNikolas

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 10 Chants in Greek Football

Image
Top 10 Chants in Greek Football By Nick Tsambouniaris, Greek ultras are known around the world for their passionate support. Atmospheres at games are electric to say the least as fans act as the 12 th man for their team. Here are my top 10 chants in Greek football with a hyperlink to the YouTube video of them being belted out in full glory. 10. AEK – RE BIN LADEN This cheeky party starter aimed at Olympiakos from AEK’s Original 21 makes it as number 10. As you can see in the below link, every single fan is jumping and singing along with purpose, making for a great atmosphere. 10. AEK – RE BIN LADEN 9. PAOK – IRTHAME SKASTOI APO TIN KLINIKI Gate 4 of PAOK are notoriously known for creating an intimidating atmosphere wherever they go. This particular chant gets extra points for its climax ending when the fans rise from the ground as one jumping all over the place. The chant itself is also funny and sums up the passion of Greek football fans in general as it says they
Read more

The Panathinaikos - Croatian Connection

Image
The Panathinaikos - Croatian Connection By: Antonios Theodosis Athenian based club Panathinaikos is a part of the “big four” of Greece, and like their rivals, Panathinaikos have seen their fair share of foreign talent come in through the ranks. In my last article, I covered the connection Panathinaikos had with players from Argentina and the success many of the Argentine’s brought to the club. For the Panathinaikos faithful, the connection does not stop with Argentinian players. The Greens have also seen their fair share of notable Croatian players come in through the ranks and help bring success to the club. Some of these notable players are: Velemir Zajec, Mario Galinovic, Goran Vlaovic, Mladen Petric, Gordan Schildenfeld, and Danijel Pranjic - with the latter granting me the opportunity to answer some questions I had regarding the Panathinaikos - Croatian connection. However, the connection does not stop with the players. Gate Thirteen, Panathinaikos’ ultras fan group hav
Read more

The Current State Of Football On Greece’s Biggest Island - Crete

Image
The Current State Of Football On Greece’s Biggest Island - Crete By Alexander Koutakos On this journey, we have travelled so far to the Greek provinces of Laconia, Messinia and Western Macedonia.  This week, we continue to journey around Greece on Greece’s biggest island (Crete).  Crete is home to the cities/large towns of Heraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Ierapetra and many others. Historically, Crete has been mass producing footballing talent for the Ethniki Omada and for the global footballing world.  The island of Crete itself has produced the footballing talents of Georgios Samaras, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Nikos Machlas, Michalis Sifakis, Petros Marinakis and many others. The “big 4” teams in Crete at the moment are OFI , Ergotelis, Chania and OF Ierapetra. In this article, I will be going over the current situation for each of the four aforementioned Cretan clubs and I will then be going over the current situation of youth development across the entire region. The Current State Of OFI (H
Read more