NIGERIA VS GREECE: 'The Greek Squad,' A Real Test for Super Eagles World Cup Fitness

The Scotland match was just a high profile warm up for the Super Eagles; since the players were just assembling - Nnamdi Oduamdi got to the Nigerian camp the night before the game. It could be the final trial for some of the fringe players like Uche Nwofor, Ejike Uzoenyi, Joel Obi, Reuben Gabriel, Babtunde Micheal who were playing to see if any one of them could break into the final squad at the eleventh hour. But many analysts wondered if a spark of one game could change Stephen Keshi’s mind.

Whatever! By June 2^nd, Keshi would have to submit his final 23 man list to FIFA and the players would have been together in camp for a week. So we expect to see a more blend of players and a more technical approach in the next friendly game against Greece.

Nigeria Vs Greece

Date: Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Time:  12am GMT+ (Midnight)

Venue: PPL Park, Chester PA, Philadelphia USA.

 The Greek Squad, that’s exactly what it is; a very compact team that play a special brand of ‘European football.’ 

With few famous players, Greece will rely heavily on a handful of team members who had a decisive role in qualifying for the World Cup.

The captain and team motivator is 37-year-old Giorgos Karagounis, one of the few surviving members of the squad that won the 2004 European Championship.

One of the best of the younger players is Kyriakos Papadopoulos, a Schalke defender who was a key player in the national team's run to the quarterfinals at Euro 2012. PA

Konstantinos Mitroglou has also kept his place after Greece named their final 23 man team for the FIFA World cup. The Fulham striker scored three times over the two legs of the World Cup qualifying play-off against Romania.

The Team can easily tire apart any opponent that isn’t technically sound. Greece are the 2004 European Champions and may approach the friendly game with all seriousness to maintain their country’s football pedigree.

Perhaps, the game against Greece may be the real test of Super Eagles readiness, since both teams will be playing at the World Cup. 

Keshi would have also settle down to building his team’s tactical approach and would want to try out one or two moves during the game.

I for one expect Keshi to start blending his main team and trying out alternative tactics he can use for a European side. The Greece game could provide him a glimpse of how a modern European side could approach the game.

I saw in the game against Scotland, how the Nigerians struggled to keep up with the pace of the game. The Scottish side was using fast breaks very well, but was not that organized upfront. The Greek Squad could be much more ruthless at goal.