Greece coach includes teenager in final squad

Alexandros Tziolis and Panagiotis Kone were today omitted from the Greece squad for Euro 2012.

Coach Fernando Santos has opted against taking the pair with 19-year-old Kaiserslautern winger Kostas Fortounis the surprise inclusion.

Tziolis has failed to hold down a starting place since joining Monaco in February and his lack of playing time has counted against him.

Santos told www.uefa.com: “We know that Tziolis hasn’t played enough this season. But that’s why we take players along to the training camp, to check out their condition.”

Greece, European champions in 2004, were drawn in Group A alongside co-hosts Poland, Russia and the Czech Republic.

The Greece squad is: Chalkias (PAOK), Sifakis (Aris Thessaloniki), Tzorvas (Palermo); Torossidis (Olympiacos), Papadopoulos (Schalke), Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen), Papadopoulos (Olympiacos), Holebas (Olympiacos), Tzavellas (Monaco), Malezas (PAOK); Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Maniatis (Olympiacos), Fotakis (PAOK), Makos (AEK Athens), Fetfatzidis (Olympiacos), Ninis (Panathinaikos), Fortounis (Kaiserslautern); Salpingidis (PAOK), Samaras (Celtic), Gekas (Samsunspor), Liberopoulos (AEK Athens), Mitroglou (Atromitos).