Aris Host Panathinaikos in Headline Matchday 12 Fixture

GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 12

AGONAsport’s Nick Tsambouniaris previews the headline fixture of Matchday 12 in the Greek Super League as Aris hosts Panathinaikos at Kleanthis Vikelidis stadium on Sunday evening.

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Overview

Fourth placed Panathinaikos travel North to Thessaloniki to face fifth placed Aris in what is set to be a vital fixture for both clubs as they bid to finish in the top 5 and in turn qualify for a European spot for next season. It would represent a hugely successful season for Aris given it is their first season back in the top flight after several years absence, whereas Panathinaikos cannot play in Europe next season as part of their punishment but qualifying would wipe this out and make them eligible as of next season.

The hosts have won their last two matches against Apollon Smyrnis and OFI respectively (both away) and new manager Savvas Pantelidis will be looking to start things off on the front foot at home in this fixture. Last week’s come from behind win at OFI in particular, showed this Aris side is capable of digging deep and fighting, rather than just playing the good football they have been known for this season.

The visitors also battered lowly Apollon Smyrnis last weekend in what was their first win since beating Panionios in October after negotiating three tricky derbies in succession. Likewise, the Greens have displayed their ability to play an eye-catching brand of football and also remain defensively organised to fight for points when needed.

This makes Sunday’s meeting all the more intriguing, as it remains to be seen how it will transpire. Will both sides throw caution to the wind and attack from the opening whistle? Will Panathinaikos sit deeper as they have tended to in away derbies under Giorgos Donis (falling back to a 3-5-2 formation in such circumstances)? Will both sides realise the importance of this fixture due to their respective ladder positions and play more cautious to avoid defeat?

Team News

Aris

Aris will be without influential duo, Hugo Sousa the Portuguese centre back, and Argentine Nicolas Colazo who is on loan from Boca Juniors, as they have both succumbed to injury and have been left out of the matchday squad as a result. Pantelidis has opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation so far, with Nicolas Diguiny the preferred choice up front over Hamza Younes. However, it was Younes who stole the show last week in Heraklion by scoring two late goals to steal victory, so maybe a starting berth is plausible. Pantelidis believes the time has come for Aris to win a derby this season and Manolis Siopis stated how eager he is for the match.

Possible starting line-up: Cuesta, Konstantinidis, Velez, Delizissis, Mendez, Basha, Siopis, Garcia, Martinez, Gama, Diguiny.

Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos will be looking for its biggest away scalp of the season and the good news is that captain Dimitris Kourbelis has been included in the matchday squad and is expected to play after fighting off injury. Goalkeeper Sokratis Dioudis is the other notable inclusion in the squad. He is fully fit following the nasty injury he suffered against Olympiacos. Anthony Mounier, Ousmane Coulibaly and Omri Altman are all out and remain long-term absentees. Donis will look to keep things settled as he has done all season, but has the ‘Plan B’ of three at the back to use.

Possible starting line-up: Dioudis, Johansson, Kolovetsios, Mavromatis, Insua, Kourbelis, Kace, Donis, Bouzoukis, Chatzigiovannis, Macheda.

Referee

This derby will not feature foreign match officials. Instead, Giorgos Tzovaras from Fthiotida has been given the nod. The 34 year old has been a long-term referee in Greek football, however, he is only a fairly new addition to the top flight.

Referee: Tzovaras

Match Officials: Petropoulos, Nikolakakis

Fourth Official: Sezos

WHERE TO WATCH

Watch it live from AGONAsport here, available WORLDWIDE except in Greece and Cyprus! Full TV listings for the USA, Canada, Australia, and Greece can be found here.

by Nick Tsambouniaris

Image Source: to10.gr

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