Greece deserve quarter-final place, says Salpigidis

Greece forward Dimitris Salpigidis insists his side deserve to be in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 ahead of their showdown against Germany.

The 2004 European champions progressed from Group A at the expense of Russia, and Salpigidis is keen to extend his nation’s journey at Euro 2012 by beating Joachim Loew’s men.

“We are at the quarter-finals. The teams that have made it deserve to be here,” Salpigidis said during a press conference.

“I am glad that we made it this far. Obviously it’s going to be a tough game, but we’ll do anything for the victory.”

Giorgos Karagounis will be suspended for the match, and Salpigidis paid tribute to his veteran captain.

“Karagounis is a key player for us and it’s not good for Greece to lose his services,” he said.

“We will play for him on Friday. All the other players are ready to fill the void.”