With Greece set to bring a full-strength squad Down Under, we take a look at four stars who the Caltex Socceroos must watch out for in the Dodoni Series.
Kostas Mitroglou
The Benfica striker has been in cracking form this season, scoring 20 goals in 31 appearances for the Portuguese club while on loan from Fulham, before signing a permanent deal last week.
Greece squad named for Caltex Socceroos friendlies
Nicknamed the “gunslinger” by the Greek media, the fiery 28-year-old is an all-action player, full of pace, power and a ruthless work ethic.
All that means he won’t give the Caltex Socceroos defenders a moment’s peace and they will need to be on high-alert when he’s on the ball anywhere around the 18-yard box.
Mitroglou has a decent return at international level too, scoring nine goals in 47 international appearances.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
You only have to look at the CV of the tough-tackling defender to understand his quality.
Papastathopoulos is currently on the books of German giants Borussia Dortmund but has also played for AC Milan, Werder Bremen, Genoa and AEK Athens in his homeland.
A no-nonsense centre-back that loves the physical confrontation, the 27-year-old is also assured on the ball, with excellent distribution out of defence.
He’s coming off a consistent season in the Bundesliga too, playing 25 games for Dortmund and scoring once.
Andreas Samaris
The classy midfielder is a player well-known to Caltex Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou.
The pair worked together during Postecoglou’s time in charge of Greek club Panachaiki in 2008, with the Socceroo boss giving the then 18-year-old a start in the first team at the third division club.
Samaris has gone on to play for Olympiakos and is now at Benfica, where he has become a valuable member for the Portuguese champions, with his driving runs from midfield a real feature of his play.
Has 21 international caps to his name, making his mark at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil where he scored his first and only goal for his country in the group clash against Ivory Coast.
Giannis Maniatis
A much-loved defensive midfielder amongst Greek fans for his full-blooded performances for his country.
Now 29, Maniatis is one of the most experienced players in Michael Stibbe’s squad, having been a key figure for his country at both the 2012 European Championship and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.'
Can be hot-headed at times but is excellent at protecting his back four.
Maniatis has spent much of his career in Greece with Panionios and Olympiakos but ended this season on loan at Belgian club Standard Liege, scoring twice in eight appearances.
