Preview:Denmark vs Greece - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to cement their place atop the Group C standings, Denmark will welcome World Cup 2026 qualifying rivals Greece to Copenhagen on Sunday.

Separated by four points, the teams reconvene at Parken after last month's 3-0 win for the Danes in Greece.

Match preview

Staying level on points with second-placed Scotland, Thursday's 6-0 rout of Belarus further improved Denmark's hopes of qualifying automatically for a third straight global finals.

Having drawn 0-0 with the Scots in their opener, before brushing aside Greece three days later, Brian Riemer's side consolidated their position as group leaders in clinical style.

Already four up at half time against rock-bottom Belarus - with Rasmus Hojlund bagging a brace before Patrick Dorgu also found the target - they ultimately cruised to a 6-0 win in neutral Hungary and now boast a plus-nine goal difference.

The Danes have won five of their first nine games under Riemer, recently keeping four successive clean sheets for the first time since October 2021.

Ranked 20th in the world by FIFA, they were always expected to top Group C - but the job is not yet done.

To claim automatic qualification, Denmark will need to finish above Scotland, with the pair's final qualifier next month potentially serving as a high-stakes showdown.

While Sunday's hosts were making mincemeat of Belarus in midweek, Greece faced a Scotland side they had beaten 3-1 on aggregate in the playoffs of last season's UEFA Nations League.

That second-leg victory for the Galanolefki was the first of four in a row across all competitions, with five of 17 goals during that hot streak coming in a home win over Belarus in their first Group C fixture.

However, they were brought back down to earth by a chastening 3-0 defeat to Denmark on matchday two, before letting three points slip through their fingers on Thursday.

Serbian coach Ivan Jovanovic saw his team dominate proceedings in Glasgow, and a Kostas Tsimikas strike put them ahead with less than 30 minutes left on the clock; yet, that only sparked an unexpected collapse, as Scotland struck back with three goals.

All of which leaves Greece sitting third in Group C, now four points behind the top two, and they surely need to win all of their last three games to have a chance of even making the playoffs.

Looking to qualify for their first World Cup since 2014, if the Greeks lose in Copenhagen and Scotland beat Belarus, that dream would be over with two rounds remaining.

Denmark World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

D W W

Denmark form (all competitions):

L W W D W W

Greece World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

W L L

Greece form (all competitions):

W W W L L

Team News

Following a fluent performance against Belarus, it seems unlikely that Riemer will make many changes to his Denmark XI this weekend - but one will be enforced by suspension.

Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg picked up another booking in Hungary, so either Arsenal's Christian Norgaard or veteran playmaker Christian Eriksen could come in.

A former teammate of the latter pair at Brentford, Mikkel Damsgaard should operate just behind a lone striker, with Hojlund set to hold off the challenge of Mika Biereth to spearhead the hosts' attack.

Now back to his best, the Napoli striker has scored three goals in his last two club games, while finding the net in both of his last two international appearances.

Meanwhile, Greece coach Jovanovic may be pondering a switch of personnel up front, after Vangelis Pavlidis missed a costly sitter against Scotland, continuing his subpar record for the national team.

Sporting Lisbon striker Fotis Ioannidis and Como's Tasos Douvikas are alternative options, while Genk teenager Konstantinos Karetsas could also be brought into the visitors' attack.

Left-back Giorgos Kyriakopoulos and Olympiacos captain Panagiotis Retsos are both sidelined by injury this month, so there are fewer alternatives to choose from in defence.

Denmark possible starting lineup:

Schmeichel; Christensen, Andersen, Vestergaard; Maehle, Norgaard, Hjulmand, Dorgu; Dreyer, Damsgaard; Hojlund

Greece possible starting lineup:

Tzolakis; Vagiannidis, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Zafeiris, Kourbelis; Karetsas, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Ioannidis

We say: Denmark 2-1 Greece

Recent results suggest that Denmark have found their rhythm at just the right time, and three more wins would take them straight through to next year's World Cup.

Potentially eliminating Greece from contention - providing Scotland do their job at Hampden - the Danes should put more points on the board by beating talented but flaky opposition.

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