Christos Patsatzoglou and Giorgos Seitaridis have the chance to prove their fitness ahead of the World Cup.
Patsatzoglou and Seitaridis make Rehhagel's provisional squad
Christos Patsatzoglou and Giorgos Seitaridis both have the chance to prove their fitness ahead of the World Cup after being named in Greece's provisional squad.
The pair, who have been restricted by injury this season, have been included in German coach Otto Rehhagel's 30-man squad - which will be reduced to 23 on 1st June.
Seitaridis made just eight league appearances for Greek double-winners Panathinaikos while utility man Patsatzoglou missed most of the World Cup qualifying campaign due to a knee injury.
There were few other surprises in Rehhagel's selection, which included 10 players from Panathinaikos and nine foreign-based players.
Among the Greeks' overseas-based players are Liverpool's Sotiris Kyrgiakos, Celtic's Giorgos Samaras and Theofanis Gekas of Hertha Berlin, who was the top scorer in qualifying with 10 goals.
Greece tackle North Korea and Paraguay in friendlies before the finals in South Africa this summer. They have been drawn with South Korea, Nigeria and Argentina in Group B.
Greece's preliminary 30-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Michalis Sifakis (Aris Salonika), Alexandros Tzorvas (Panathinaikos), Kostas Chalkias (PAOK Salonika).
Defenders: Giorgos Seitaridis (Panathinaikos), Loukas Vintra (Panathinaikos), Evangelos Moras (Bologna), Socrates Papastathopoulos (Genoa), Sotiris Kyrgiakos (Liverpool), Avraam Papadopoulos (Olympiakos), Vasilis Torosidis (Olympiakos), Nikos Spiropoulos (Panathinaikos), Stelios Malezas (PAOK Salonika), Giorgos Tzavellas (Panionios), Kostas Manolas (AEK Athens), Giorgos Galitsios (Olympiakos), Stergos Marinos (Panathinaikos).
Midfielders: Kostas Katsouranis (Panathinaikos), Alexandros Tziolis (Siena), Giorgos Karagounis (Panathinaikos), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Christos Patsatzoglou (Omonia), Grigoris Makos (AEK Athens), Sakis Prittas (Aris Salonika), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Panathinaikos).
Forwards: Angelos Charisteas (Nuremberg), Dimitris Salpigidis (Panathinaikos), Pantelis Kapetanos (Steaua Bucharest), Theofanis Gekas (Hertha Berlin), Giorgos Samaras (Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos).
