New Delhi: On Day IV of Euro 2008, 1964 European champions Spain are up against Russia while defending champions Greece take on one of the dark horses of the tournament Sweden.
Though it's rare for the defending champions to be underdogs, but Greece are in that position against Sweden in Salzburg on Tuesday night, with both sides enjoying the tag of tournament underdogs.
But having scored 25 goals in their 12 qualifying games; Greece have the happy knack of finding the back of the net. The Swedes will be counting on star strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson to take them past the surprise winners of Euro 2004.
"Greece are the reigning champion and of course we have respect for them as a team. You know, they surprised a lot of teams the last time and they probably can do the same again, so we need to be careful. They play some good football, they have some big players as well, and sometimes they hit the ball a bit longer sometimes they use their aerial strength. We need to be careful on their set pieces," Swedish midfielder Freddie Ljungberg said.
In the first match of Day IV, one of the most talented teams in the tournament, Spain, know that Russia have never beaten them in the past.
That record along with the striking prowess of Fernando Torres and David Villa makes them a formidable side to beat.
Torres and Villa have scored a combined total of 56 goals last season. Clearly, both the teams would be looking for an early advantage.
"Its very important to score early. It gives you trust, gives you calm, it gives you tranquility. It helps you lead the game the way to want it to be headed. Today we see most of the teams who are up on the scoreboard win the game. It is difficult to get up first on that scoreboard. Of course we are hoping it will be Spain," Spanish midfielder Xavi said.
Russia had lost to Spain by a solitary goal in the last European Championships, although both teams failed to reach the knock out stage.
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