Olympiacos are at the top of the table one point ahead of both Panahinaikos and AEK but their big advantage when the Greek “El Classico” gets under way will be their 33,000 capacity crowd at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. With a perfect record in eight home games this term this becomes easily apparent.
And with Panathinaikos’ main shareholder Giannis Vardinogiannis having set the tone high repeating an abusive terrace chant during an event attended by journalists and all of the club’s players and their families, a fiery welcome for the visitors is dreaded.
But football is played on the pitch and there Panathinaikos might have the advantage as Olympiacos’ coach Takis Lemonis will be forced to field his favorite 4-3-3 formation without key players Ieroklis Stoltidis and Christian Ledesma, who are out through injuries.
On the other hand, the visitors have lost defender Nassif Morris but are glad to welcome back after more than a year out midfielder Ezequiel Gonzalez.
History too favors Olympiacos but no matter what is going to happen on Sunday, the two sides will have a chance for a replay just three days later. This time, though, will be for the Greek Cup. And Olympiacos again will be the hosts.
Super League is not only the derby, though. Round 16 gets under way on Saturday with seventh-placed Panionios taking on fifth-placed Aris in what is expected to be a tight encounter between to equal sides.
Later the same day, AEK welcome lowly Veria. The Lorenzo Serra Ferrer side have fallen to third place but taking advantage of the resulting casualties from the “El Classico”, they might find themselves back on top. Not that the visitors will give up easily, but so far they have no away win and starting from now seems quite difficult.
On Sunday, the spotlight, of course, falls on the big derby, but the full program promises a lot more action.
The day starts with the tie between third-from-the-bottom Apollon Kalamarias against fourth-from-the-bottom OFI Crete. Here things are quite simple. The winners of the game will have the chance to take a deep breath before getting back into the battle for survival, while the losers should start worrying seriously about their future in the division.
Having added AEK to the list of scalps they have taken, after those of Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and PAOK, it’s only left to see whether Asteras Tripolis will be able to continue in the same high pace in the second half of the season. On Sunday, the newly-promoted side will find in their way Larissa, the only team that have managed to beat them at home this season, but now the hosts will have certainly a harder time to stop them.
Later, PAOK entertain high-flying Xanthi, while Ergotelis, who sit on the foot of the table, will be looking only for the maximum against Iraklis in their quest for a brighter future. The same applies for second-from-the-bottom Levadiakos, who play hosts to mid-placed Atromitos.
And with Panathinaikos’ main shareholder Giannis Vardinogiannis having set the tone high repeating an abusive terrace chant during an event attended by journalists and all of the club’s players and their families, a fiery welcome for the visitors is dreaded.
But football is played on the pitch and there Panathinaikos might have the advantage as Olympiacos’ coach Takis Lemonis will be forced to field his favorite 4-3-3 formation without key players Ieroklis Stoltidis and Christian Ledesma, who are out through injuries.
On the other hand, the visitors have lost defender Nassif Morris but are glad to welcome back after more than a year out midfielder Ezequiel Gonzalez.
History too favors Olympiacos but no matter what is going to happen on Sunday, the two sides will have a chance for a replay just three days later. This time, though, will be for the Greek Cup. And Olympiacos again will be the hosts.
Super League is not only the derby, though. Round 16 gets under way on Saturday with seventh-placed Panionios taking on fifth-placed Aris in what is expected to be a tight encounter between to equal sides.
Later the same day, AEK welcome lowly Veria. The Lorenzo Serra Ferrer side have fallen to third place but taking advantage of the resulting casualties from the “El Classico”, they might find themselves back on top. Not that the visitors will give up easily, but so far they have no away win and starting from now seems quite difficult.
On Sunday, the spotlight, of course, falls on the big derby, but the full program promises a lot more action.
The day starts with the tie between third-from-the-bottom Apollon Kalamarias against fourth-from-the-bottom OFI Crete. Here things are quite simple. The winners of the game will have the chance to take a deep breath before getting back into the battle for survival, while the losers should start worrying seriously about their future in the division.
Having added AEK to the list of scalps they have taken, after those of Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and PAOK, it’s only left to see whether Asteras Tripolis will be able to continue in the same high pace in the second half of the season. On Sunday, the newly-promoted side will find in their way Larissa, the only team that have managed to beat them at home this season, but now the hosts will have certainly a harder time to stop them.
Later, PAOK entertain high-flying Xanthi, while Ergotelis, who sit on the foot of the table, will be looking only for the maximum against Iraklis in their quest for a brighter future. The same applies for second-from-the-bottom Levadiakos, who play hosts to mid-placed Atromitos.
No comments:
Post a Comment