Fascinating Football League battles unfurling

The 2018/2019 Football League is entering its final two matchdays, and while Volos NFC have already been promoted, there are plenty of other fascinating, tense battles for positions all across the championship. AGONAsport takes a closer look.

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Fight for second

The match between Apollon Larissa and Platanias on Sunday is practically a final. At the moment, Platanias occupy second spot of the Football League standings with 52 points, but Apollon Larissa are only one point behind. In the event they win, Platanias will officially wrap up second spot and qualify for the promotion/relegation playoff against the 13th placed Super League club, but Apollon Larissa will firmly be in the box seat if they manage to tally the three points and move into second. On the final matchday, Platanias host struggling Iraklis in Chania, while Apollon Larissa travel to lowly Irodotos. Games which the two promotion candidates should win.

Ergotelis (47 points) and Apollon Pontou (46 points) aren’t officially out of the race for second, but taking into account only two games remain in the season, they require a minor miracle to somehow deny Platanias or Apollon Larissa a playoff berth. Cretan club Ergotelis were threatening to make a realistic challenge for second, but in their previous game, they dropped two vital points at home to Iraklis in a 1:1 draw. Ergotelis will play Karaiskakis and Doxa Drama in the concluding rounds, and for their part, Apollon Pontou take on Sparti and AO Chania Kissamikos.

2. Platanias, 52 points

3. Apollon Larissa, 51 points

4. Ergotelis, 47 points

5. Apollon Pontou, 46 points

Fight for 10th

This season, the clubs between third and 10th will move into the Super League 2 for the 2019/2020 campaign, teams in 11th and 12th will play in the 2019/2020 Football League, will sides from 13th to 16th suffer relegation to the Gamma Ethniki. Iraklis Thessaloniki currently occupy 11th place with a disappointing haul of 39 points, but with two games left, they are level on points with Karaiskakis and still harbour hope of moving into the top 10.

Iraklis have a tough run-in with games against high-flyers Volos NFC and Platanias approaching. Direct rivals Karaiskakis won’t have an easy time of it in matches with Ergotelis and AO Trikala, and Panachaiki (42 points), Doxa Drama (42 points), AO Chania Kissamikos (43 points) AOK Kerkyra (44 points) aren’t assured of their place in the 2019/2020 Super League 2 either. When the season began, Panachaiki and Kerkyra were among the main promotion favourites, but they have struggled for consistency. Panachaiki’s last win was on March 9.

6. Kerkyra, 44 points

7. AO Chania Kissamikos, 43 points

8. Doxa Drama, 42 points

9. Panachaiki, 42 points

10. Karaiskakis, 39 points

11. Iraklis, 39 points

Fight for 12th

Sparti, Aiginiakos and Aittitos Spata have already been demoted, and one more team will fall down the relegation trapdoor to the murky depths of the Gamma Ethniki. As it stands, that team will be Trikala (29 points), but one of their final two matches is against disqualified Aittitos Spata which means they’re handed a crucial 3:0 victory on paper. Irodotos, possessing 31 points, have a tricky couple of games against Panachaiki (A) and Apollon Larissa (H) coming up, and they cannot afford to lose both.

12. Irodotos, 31 points

13. AO Trikala, 29 points

by Shaun Nicolaides

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