AEK and Aris meet for first time since 2012/2013 season
| AEK | 19:30 (GR) | Aris |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, 28-Oct |
AEK host Aris at the Olympic Stadium searching for a bounce-back win following defeat in the UEFA Champions League. AGONAsport previews the Super League duel.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com!
It’s been a strange start to the season for AEK. Ever since qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stages, the Enosis have suffered a severe dip in fortunes, losing to PAOK in the Super League and receiving a three-point penalty after fan trouble during the derby with Olympiacos. As a result, the Kitrinomavri trail leaders PAOK by six points in third place of the standings, however they got back to winning ways in the domestic championship last week with an important 2:0 victory against minnows Apollon Smyrnis in Rizoupoli.
On Tuesday, AEK were aiming to send shockwaves across Europe when welcoming German giants Bayern Munich to the OAKA, but they contrived to lose 0:2 and remain point-less in the Champions League. Head coach Marinos Ouzounidis will be hoping that his troops didn’t lose too much energy and will be able to re-focus their attentions on the Athenians’ priority - the Super League.
Having only just returned to the Super League, not much was expected of Aris this season, but the Thessaloniki outfit have impressed. Under the guidance of the wily Paco Herrera, Aris have played some of the best football witnessed in the campaign, however they’ve suddenly shown signs of cracking by dropping three defeats in four matches.
On matchday seven, Aris played arch-rivals PAOK at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium in the Derby of Northern Greece, conceding a bitter 1:2 loss. In the early stages, Mateo Garcia handed Aris the advantage, but Aleksandar Prijovic struck twice for the Dikefalos tou Vorra. Aris sit in sixth place of the Super League with 12 points and can overtake AEK with a win in Athens.
Incredibly, AEK and Aris last played against each other in the 2012/2013 Super League, with the clubs sharing two 1:1 draws. Both organisations subsequently suffered financial meltdowns and displayed remarkable resistance to make their way back to the big time.
TEAM NEWS: AEK
25-year old attacker Anastasios Bakasetas received an injury during the Champions League match with Bayern Munich and won’t play against Aris. In a surprising move, Ouzounidis decided to rest Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Viktor Klonaridis, while Erik Moran is injured. Greek international centre-back Marios Oikonomou is at full fitness after missing the midweek game.
Possible line-up: Barkas, Bakakis, Lampropoulos, Oikonomou, Hult, Simoes, Galanopoulos, Mantalos, Boye, Galo, Livaja.
TEAM NEWS: ARIS
In disappointing news for Paco Herrera, key Spanish defender Fran Velez got injured in the Super League derby with PAOK, and he consequently misses this game. Fellow Spaniard Alex Menendez also wasn’t taken to Athens, but asides from those two major absentees, Herrera has a full strength roster with captain Georgios Delizisis back in the squad.
Possible line-up: Cuesta, Tzanakakis, Delizisis, Mavraj, Valerianos, Siopis, Matilla, Garcia, Gama, Diguiny, Younes.
REFEREES: ATHANASIOS TZILOS (GRE)
Referee: Athanasios Tzilos (GRE)
Assistant referees: Hasan Koula (GRE), Damianos Efthymiadis (GRE)
Fourth official: Vasilis Fotias (GRE)
MATCH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
On October 7, chaos erupted between AEK supporters and the police in the 1:1 home draw against Olympiacos in the Super League, an incident which resulted in the reigning Greek champions losing three points from the table and forced to play two home matches behind closed doors. This game against Aris is the first of the two to be played inside an empty OAKA.
WHERE TO WATCH
Watch the match live on AGONAsport here, available worldwide except in Greece and Cyprus! Find full TV listings for Australia, the USA and Greece on this link.
