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Just few days remain until the friendly games that the team of Greece will play within its preparation for the World Cup in South Africa. Nationals will meet the North Korean team on 25.05. and the team of Paraguay on 2.06. From today, the players and their coach Otto Rehhagel are in Switzerland in Bant Ragaz, where a part of their preparation for the tournament will be held. Players who Rehhagel's put in the team are Michalis Sifakis, Alexis Dzorvas, Costas Halkyas, Yurkas Seitaridis, Lucas Vintra, Vangeris Moras, Sokratis Papastatopoulos, Sotiris Kyriakos, Abraham Papadopoulos, Vassilis Torosidis, Nikos Spiropulos, Costas Katsouranis, Alexandros Tsiolis, Georgious Karagounis, Sotiris Ninis, Angelos Haristeas, Dimitris Salpingidis, Pantelis Kapetanos, Fanis Gekas, Georgis Samaras, Grigoris Macos, Hristos Patsatzoglou, Stelios Malezas, Sakis Pritas, Georgious Dzavelas. At the last minute the German excluded Kostas Manolas from AEK due to a serious injury which the player received during the last game with the team of Olympiakos. The names of the 23 nationals who will travel to South Africa Rehhagel will announce on 1 June. They will participate, the day after in the second friendly game against the team of Paraguay.

The choice of friendly matches Rehhagel explains with the fact that football in Paraguay and North Korea looks like the one of South Korea and Argentina.

The coach does not hide his enthusiasm from the participation of Greece in the World Cup. Greek sports website www.sport.gr reports about the statements which the German made before Weser-Kurier. "The success in 2004 was something phenomenal, but with the exception of 1994 Greece has not participated in another World Cup. I look forward enthusiastically to see how we will do" - said Rehhagel. Regarding the squad of the team and its shape he says: "We have prepared a good team, but we do not have the luxury of injuries and absences, as we don’t have many alternatives." To the German newspaper he says further that the participation in the tournament is in itself a huge success. "Greece as a whole is not a football nation. We are, however, close to the top ten in world ranking and I say this with pride. When me and my assistant started working the country was at the 66th place! A lot of hard work was needed to get there."