Excitement in store in Thessaloniki
 

GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 4

AGONAsport previews the first Derby of Macedonia of the 2019/2020 Super League season between PAOK and Aris.

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This promises to be a thriller. During the summer, both PAOK and Aris suffered European heartbreak, but they approach their first meeting of the campaign in good shape.

PAOK, who are still adapting to the demands of head coach Abel Ferreira, have made the perfect start to their defence of the Super League crown. Although they haven’t played particularly wonderful football, the Dikefalos tou Vorra have effectively been getting the job done, defeating Panetolikos (2-1), Panionios (2-1) and Atromitos (3-2) to claim all nine available nine points. Last week, PAOK were on the verge of dropping two points in Peristeri, but Jose Angel Crespo popped up with a last-gasp winner. Chuba Akpom and Leo Matos scored the first two PAOK goals:

Aris were in crisis. However, under the guidance of interim boss Apostolos Terzis after Savvas Panetlidis had earlier resigned, Aris got back to winning ways on matchday three by ruthlessly thrashing Panathinaikos 4-0 at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium. Tearing apart their shaky Athenian opponents, Giannis Fetfatzidis, Fran Velez, Nicolas Diguiny and Brown Ideye all hit the target to send out a message of their intentions:

Aris had started their Super League season with a 1-1 draw with OFI and a shock 1-0 loss to newly-promoted Volos NFC before Pantelidis submitted his resignation. A permanent replacement is yet to be appointed.

These teams met three times in the 2018/2019 season. In the Greek Cup, Aris managed to hold PAOK to a 1-1 draw at the packed Toumba Stadium, before the latter gained revenge with a 2-1 victory on the road in the Super League. However, in the return fixture at the Toumba in the domestic championship, Aris snatched a dramatic point with a late equaliser in a 1-1 tie.

TEAM NEWS: PAOK

Manager Abel Ferreira is pleased to have Omar El Kaddouri available for this match. Asides from long-term absentees Pontus Wernbloom, Mauricio and Vieirinha, Ferreira does have a full-strength squad at his disposal.

Possible line-up: Paschalakis, Giannoulis, Crespo, Varela, Matos, Misic, Esiti, Biseswar, Limnios, Pelkas, Akpom.

TEAM NEWS: ARIS

Fortunately for Terzis, he has no injury worries, with Aris completing their final training session ahead of this match as normal. In the match against Panathinaikos, experienced Nigerian striker Brown Ideye opened his account for Aris, and he will be hoping to beat Alexandros Paschalakis in the PAOK goal too. Giannis Fetfatzidis and Nicolas Diguiny are in great form.

Possible line-up: Cuesta, Korhut, Rose, Velez, Sundgren, Matilla, Sasha, Fetfatzidis, Gama, Diguiny, Ideye.

REFEREE: TASOS SIDIROPOULOS (GRE)

In the previous season, the Hellenic Football Federation only appointed foreigners to take charge of all major derbies, but Tasos Sidiropoulos of Greece will be the referee for this game.

Sidiropoulos, 40, was the referee for the Benfica - Leipzig (1-2) clash in the UEFA Champions League this week, dishing out four yellow cards. He oversaw the Asteras Tripolis - AEK (2-3) match in the Super League on September 1.

Assistant referees: Polychronis Kostaras (GRE), Christos Baltsas (GRE)

Fourth official: Dimitris Karantonis (GRE)

Video Assistant Referee: Aristotelis Diamantopoulos (GRE), Kostas Triantafyllou (GRE)

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: to10.gr

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