Greece vs Paraguay – News and Probable Lineups

On Friday night, Grécia will host Paraguai for an international friendly match at Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki.

This fixture will be part of the visitors’ preparations ahead of the World Cup, a competition that Grécia has unfortunately missed out on qualifying for.

Match overview

This upcoming match marks Grécia’s return to play after their disappointing failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

After starting strongly in UEFA qualifying Group C with a 5-1 victory over Bielorrússia, Grécia struggled with just one win, one draw, and three losses in the next four matches, finishing third in the group.

This outcome means Grécia has now missed the last three World Cups, following their elimination in the round of 16 during the 2014 tournament.

Head coach Ivan Jovanovic will be looking for his team to recover from that setback with strong showings in their upcoming friendlies against Paraguai and Hungria, in preparation for their UEFA Nations League campaign starting in September.

Grécia will face a Paraguai team that, unlike the hosts, is gearing up for their return to the World Cup stage at the 2026 tournament.

Paraguai had a stellar CONMEBOL qualifying campaign, achieving seven wins, seven draws, and only four losses in their 18 matches, finishing sixth and securing automatic qualification for the summer tournament.

Gustavo Alfaro’s squad, placed in Group D with the hosts USA, Austrália, and the winner of UEFA playoff path C, will be participating in the competition for the first time since their quarter-final exit in the 2010 World Cup.

Preparations for the tournament commenced for Paraguay in October 2025, where they drew 2-2 against Japão but faced defeats to South Korea (2-0) and USA (2-1).

They managed to conclude this rough patch with a 2-1 victory over México in their most recent friendly, and Alfaro’s team will be aiming to build on that success as they head towards the summer tournament.

Confidence will be high for the visitors, especially since they won 2-0 against Grécia in their last encounter back in June 2010.

Team News

Christos Tzolis was Grécia’s leading scorer during their World Cup qualification journey and is anticipated to start on Friday, while the promising young player Konstantinos Karetsas may also start on the opposite side.

In defence, a back line featuring Lazaros Rota, Panagiotis Retsos, Pantelis Hatzidiakos, and Konstantinos Tsimikas will likely stand in front of goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

On the other hand, Paraguai has included several newcomers in their squad for the upcoming friendlies, such as Mauricio Magalhaes, Gaston Olveira, Alexandro Maidana, and Gustavo Caballero.

Antonio Sanabria and Damian Bobadilla scored in Paraguai’s recent 2-1 win against México, and both players could be part of the starting XI against Grécia.

Grécia probable starting XI:

Vlachodimos? Rota, Retsos, Hatzidiakos, Tsimikas; Zafeiris, Triantis; Karetsas, Masouras, Tzolis? Pavlidis

Paraguai probable starting XI:

Gill; Benitez, Velazquez, Balbuena, Alderete; Ojeda, Galarza; Sosa, Bobadilla, Almiron; Sanabria

Grécia will be keen to recover from the letdown of not qualifying for the World Cup, while Paraguai seeks to generate momentum as they prepare for their tournament, making a tense stalemate a possibility.