Olympiacos and PAOK form Greece U17 core

Olympiacos and PAOK form the core of this Greek under 17 national team, with the two clubs accounting for 13 of the 20 players in the squad for the 2019 UEFA European Championship in the Republic of Ireland.

Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com! 

Last week, Olympiacos claimed their third straight U17 Super League title, defeating PAOK 1:0 in the final with Vasilis Dotis scoring the only goal in the 48th minute. A few days earlier, the Hellenic Football Federation has revealed the Greek under 17 national team roster for the upcoming 2019 UEFA European Championship in Ireland, with 13 of the 20 players representing either Olympiacos or PAOK.

PAOK have the slight edge in terms of numbers, with seven of their players included in the Greece U17 squad in comparison to six Olympiacos representatives. Both goalkeepers, Konstantinos Tzolakis and Konstantinos Balomenos, are on the books of Olympiacos and PAOK respectively, and prolific PAOK forward Christos Tzolis was instrumental in leading Greece to the championship.

Over the course of the two qualification rounds, the Greeks registered a grand total of five goals, with all of them being scored by 17-year-old Tzolis! His markers against Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine and Kosovo (2) practically single handedly booked the national team’s ticket to Ireland, and many are touting Tzolis as a huge prospect for the future. Tzolis also scored over 18 goals in the U17 Super League with PAOK clinching second place in the competition behind Olympiacos.

Between the sticks, Olympiacos’ Tzolakis played in all three Elite Round games while only conceding the two goals in a 0:2 loss to Spain, PAOK defensive midfielder Thomas Karaberis shields the back line effectively and despite being the youngest member of the team during qualifying, 16-year-old Olympiacos attacking midfielder Christos Liatsos was often in the starting line-up. Fellow Olympiacos midfielder Vasilis Sourlis, a highly rated talent in the Erythrolefki academy, is reportedly on the watchlist of major European clubs after standing out with his fantastic technical ability.

Xanthi, Panathinaikos, Schalke 04, PAS Giannina, Panetolikos and Sampdoria are the other clubs to have players in the under 17 Greek national team for the European Championship. Athenian giants AEK don’t have any players in the side.

At the 2019 UEFA U17 European Championship, Greece have been placed in Group A alongside the Czech Republic, Belgium and host nation Ireland, with the competition set to take place between the 3rd and 19th of May.

Group A schedule for Greece U17:

May 3, Ireland - Greece

May 6, Belgium - Greece

May 9, Greece - Czech Republic

by Shaun Nicolaides

Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!