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Dellas Returns To Greece Squad For Vital Group 3 World Cup Qualifiers V Denmark & Georgia

Submitted by Scott Harkness on Wed, 05/10/2005 - 02:05.

Greece defender Traianos Dellas is set to return to Greece's squad for the team's two remaining World Cup Group 3 qualifiers against Denmark and Georgia.

The 29-year-old defender was recently signed by AEK Athens from Italian serie A side AS Roma, and has recovered from a recent injury that has recently excluded him from the Greek squad.

Greek National team coach Otto Rehhagel has also called up Panathinaikos striker Vangelis Mantzios, along with keeper Stephanos Kotsolis for their debut's in the games against Denmark and Georgia.

The 22-year-old Mantzios, who scored in Panathinaikos' 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen on Tuesday in the Champions League, said he was thrilled with his call-up for his National side.

"I didn't expect this ... the game against Denmark will be tough," Mantzios said. "But we can fight with the credentials we have and get the result."

Takis Fyssas, who plays for the current Scottish league leader Hearts, was named in the squad despite a knee injury that he has been nursing.

With Ukraine having already qualified as winners of Europe Zone Group 2, Greece, Denmark and Turkey are playing for for second place in the Group, and so gaining a play-off place.

Turkey has 20 points from 11 matches, while Greece has 18 and Denmark 16 from 10 games.

Greece Squad (team to be chosen from):

Goalkeepers:
Antonis Nikopolidis (Olympiakos), Stephanos Kotsolis (Larissa)

Defenders:
Giourkas Seitaridis (Dynamo Moscow), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Rangers), Loukas Vyntra (Panathinaikos), Michalis Kapsis (Olympiakos), Giorgos Anatolakis (Olympiakos), Takis Fyssas (Hearts), Traianos Dellas (AEK Athens), Yiannis Goumas (Panathinaikos)

Midfielders:
Costas Katsouranis (AEK Athens), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton), Angelos Basinas (no team), Theodoros Zagorakis (PAOK Thessaloniki), Pandelis Kaffes (Olympiakos), Giorgos Karagounis (Benfica)

Strikers:
Nikos Lymberopoulos (AEK Athens), Angelos Haristeas (Ajax), Zissis Vryzas (Fiorentina), Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK Thessaloniki), Fanis Gekas (Panathinaikos), Dimitris Papadopoulos (Panathinaikos), Vangelis Mantzios (Panathinaikos)


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