Greece are always an odd to team to predict at the World Cup, they either surprised everybody and do better than expected or they do exactly what people thought an go out in the group stage.
This time around, much like France, you cannot predict which team will turn up whether they will be ready for the bid occasion or whether they will fall flat and go out with a whimper.
If they want to succeed they will have to adopt the gameplan of Euro 2004 when they won the competition to the surprise of every football fan, besides the Greeks.
The Coach:
Fernando Santos is a shrewd operator and is very experiential with his tactics in games, this can either be a positive and shock the opposition or it can be a negative and disrupt the flow and team harmony.
What fans expect:
The Greeks have a fighting spirit like no other international team, this may come from the gladiator past of their ancestors, and are determined to do well for their country.
The fans are no different and will expect this fighting spirit from every member of the 23 man squad that is in Brazil. The fans know the football is attractive but they care non the less if they get the victory.
Style of play:
Santos has chopped and changed between a number of formations, but more recently has settled on a 4-3-3 which seems to begin the best out of some players who struggled in the past.
With a lack of direct play from Samaras and Co. up front, the Greeks adopt a counter-attacking style of play to charge down the opponents and wear them out in games.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
In defence the team have a never say die attitude, so if a team mate loses possession they will swarm around the attacker to get it back and send it upfield. With an experienced set of players the Greeks know what to do in World Cups and this may give them an advantage.
They lack creativity and need to improve their passing game, the younger starts need to take suit from the old heads on the pitch as they are the masters at the passing game.
The Verdict:
In their first match against Colombia a win would be a shock for them and they will need to hope that they can get six points from the other two matches if they hope to progress further.
Although they can out in a good performance on their day, they may go out at the group stages but they won't have done it lightly and without the fighting spirit that every player has.