Greece coach Gustavo Poyet has warned his players not to underestimate Malta as the two national teams go head to head in an international friendly on Thursday evening.
The Greeks are heading into today’s friendly against Malta with a number of key players missing and coach Poyet said that it will be a good opportunity to try out new players ahead of the start of the Euro qualifiers next year.
“Personally, I am very pleased to be here to face Malta in a friendly,” the former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder said.
Video: Chris Sant Fournier
“We are expecting a very difficult match as Malta have shown a lot of progress in the last few months. It was quite tricky for me to prepare for this match as with the departure of Devis Mangia we don’t know what to expect in terms of playing system.
“It’s clear that we are facing a team that keeps battling till the end, as we saw with their win against Israel, so it’s going to be a great test for us.
“No doubt, the match will be a perfect opportunity for me to try out some players and see if they can be part of our set-up ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.”
Poyet admitted that there is disappointment in the Greece football fraternity after the national team missed out on a place for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off on Sunday.
Video: Chris Sant Fournier
“It’s a huge disappointment as we always want to play in these big tournaments,” the former Uruguay international said.
“But our big objective is to ensure that Greece manages to qualify for big tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Championships.
“Our main goal is Euro 2024 and our work is focused on building a competitive team that can reach this tournament’s finals.”
