Greece’s home-based players have been given extra time to prepare because manager Ivan Jovanovic’s request that all top flight matches in the Greek Super League this weekend be postponed was granted.
And the passionate Greek fans snapped up 15,000 tickets in just two hours ahead of what is sure to be a sell-out this week.
Now Panathinaikos and Greece skipper Bakasetas – who will miss the games with a thigh injury – has backed his side to stun the Scots.
He said: “The squad has been improving a lot – it’s taken a few years to get where we are today.
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“The atmosphere among the players is excellent. Each one of us always gives his heart and soul when we represent the national team.
“We are no longer lacking anything as a team. We have very young players in the squad, but we also have the experience and quality because we have players who play at a very high level.
“We want to compete with the very top teams and to do that, we have to beat Scotland in these play-off games. And I believe this team has the ability to do that.”