Three new caps in Greece squad for Euro 2016 double-header

Greece host fellow strugglers Finland on September 4 and then travel to Bucharest to play Group F leaders Romania three days later, with AEK forwards Vangelis Platellas and Christos Aravidis, and PAOK midfielder Stelios Kitsiou in the squad for the first time.

The 2004 European champions are currently bottom of Group F with just two points from six matches -- 11 points adrift of the automatic qualifying berths for next year's finals in France with just four matches to play.

After a poor 2-1 defeat in the Faroe Islands last time out which all but ended their hopes of qualifying from Group F, Tsanas has wielded the axe with defenders Kostas Stafylidis, Stathis Tavlaridis and Christos Tasoulis among those to be chopped.

Olympiakos midfielder Dimitris Kolovos and Asteras Tripoli forward Taxiarchis Fountas have also been dropped, alongside former captain Kostas Katsouranis, who remains without a club.

Former Celtic striker Giorgos Samaras and ex-Verona forward Lazaros Christodoulopoulos -- both without club sides at present -- are the others to be left out.

Roma midfielder Vasilis Torosidis has been called up to the 24-man squad despite being ineligible for the Finland game due to suspension.

Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis (Udinese/ITA), Stefanos Kapino (Olympiakos), Marcos Vellidis (Giannina)

Defenders: Vasilis Torosidis, Kostas Manolas (both Roma/ITA), Loukas Vyntras (Hapoel Tel Aviv/ISR), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Vangelis Moras (Verona/ITA), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund/GER), Jose Holebas (Watford/ENG), Kostas Giannoulis (Asteras Tripoli)

Midfielders: Stelios Kitsiou, Alexandros Tziolis (both PAOK), Panayiotis Tachtsidis (Genoa/ITA), Panagiotis Kone (Udinese/ITA), Kostas Fortounis (Olympiakos), Thanasis Petsos (Rapid Wien/AUT), Sotiris Ninis (Panathinaikos), Andreas Samaris (Benfica/POR)

Forwards: Nikos Karelis (Panathinaikos), Giannis Fetfatzidis (Al-Ahli Jeddah/KSA), Vangelis Platellas (AEK), Kostas Mitroglou (Benfica/POR), Christos Aravidis (AEK)