Fifth place to be decided in Athens

With nine games remaining, Giorgos Donis’ young Panathinaikos side sits in sixth spot, only two points behind Aris. The race for fifth is about to heat up and go to a new level as Aris embark on a nightmare three week period where they face PAOK, AEK, and Olympiacos (two of the three away). Coincidentally, Panathinaikos face the same three rivals in the exact same order starting a week later. This will then come to a head when Aris travels south to face Panathinaikos at the OAKA stadium in Athens.

Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com! 

Rewind to August 2018 and fifth would have been a mere pipe dream for Panathinaikos. With the team starting on -6 and not being able to make any significant signings in the transfer window, expectations were low and relegation was even spoken about. However, the youngsters quickly allayed those fears and rocketed up the ladder.

While things have stalled a bit as expected due to a lack of depth and inexperience, the team is still in a great position to claim fifth place and a European spot. This is vital, even if the club is not allowed to participate in Europe next season, it would mean the ban is erased at the first time of asking.

The nine remaining fixtures vary in terms of difficulty and present their own different challenges. This weekend’s match at Nea Smyrni against Panionios will not be easy. It has proved to be a very tricky fixture for the Trifylli over the years, even though they won there 0-3 last season. When the two teams met back in October, the Greens emerged victorious after dominating for large spells, but it took a late goal from Ilias Chatzitheodoridis to break the deadlock. It was a timely goal as the team was beginning to get frustrated. This is a fixture in which the team needs to get a result, a draw at the very least.

Following this, the Greens host champions-elect PAOK at OAKA. The Thessaloniki club is still undefeated, but Panathinaikos will be aiming to put a stop to that. On paper it is a mismatch due to the vastly different budgets of the two clubs, but maybe PAOK will drop off with the title all but confirmed and funny things happen in derbies. Realistically, anything obtained from this fixture would be a bonus.

After this, Panathinaikos will be the away team at OAKA when they face AEK. The Enosi have been inconsistent throughout their title defence, but such is the gap between Panathinaikos’ budget compared to the rest of the ‘big four,’ they will still be underdogs in this fixture. They can use the previous meeting in November as motivation, as the team was unlucky not to take all three points. Giannis Bouzoukis and Federico Macheda both missed big chances in the goalless draw.

A week later, it is the Derby of the Eternal Enemies against Olympiacos. In spite of both teams dropping off in recent years, it is still the biggest fixture in Greek football. Every time these two meet there is controversy - take the previous meeting in November as case in point. Sokratis Dioudis copped a nasty injury, Ergys Kace scored one of the goals of the season, Olympiacos dominated and scored in stoppage time to equalise in what was an entertaining matchup. The Greens would love nothing more than rubbing into their arch rivals by extending their unbeaten streak. Olympiacos have failed to beat Panathinaikos since 2016 and a result in this game is a must for the Green fans alone!

Relegation-bound Apollon Smyrni is next after the three big derbies. Only a win would suffice here. The Rizoupoli club is bottom of the league and in a bad state. Panathinaikos hammered them 5-1 back in November.

Perhaps the most important fixture in the run home follows on the 7th of April when Aris come to town. If both teams are close on the ladder by the time this fixture rolls around, it will be a blockbuster. Both teams like to play the right way, in an attacking manner. The previous meeting in December provided nothing but controversy and fireworks. Aris were aided massively by the referee to grab the opening goal from the spot, but then went on to dominate and should have scored more to kill the game off. Their inability to do so gave Panathinaikos a lifeline and Tasos Chatzigiovannis scored from the spot in the 93rd minute to equalise and spark wild celebrations after Federico Macheda was red carded for a nasty challenge on Manolis Siopis.

OFI at OAKA is the third last fixture. It will not be a game in which the Greens can relax, OFI won the last time these two met and will come to Athens ready for a fight as they bid to avoid relegation. Added to this, the team struggles to break down well-organised opponents that like to sit deep. In spite of this, from Panathinaikos’ perspective it is a must win if they want to claim fifth spot.

The last away fixture comes when the team travels across Athens to face Atromitos at Peristeri. Atromitos are a strong side but by then they should have wrapped up a European spot, they may be playing for nothing. Nonetheless, it will be a tough match for Panathinaikos, but avoiding defeat will be the main aim, even though the club has enjoyed decent results against Atromitos over the years and won the most recent fixture 1-0.

The final match of the season is a home meeting against a well-drilled Panetolikos side under Traianos Dellas. This is a must win since it is at home and by then, Panetolikos will more than likely be playing for pride as they are not in danger of relegation and a slim chance of grabbing fifth spot.

As it can be observed, the final nine games provide different challenges, but the Greens have a massive advantage in knowing they do not have to travel outside of Athens again this season. Hosting derbies in Greek football gives the home team an upper hand and the Trifylli will have this. The three derbies in succession and the meeting against Aris will be the ones to watch, whereas the games against the likes of Apollon Smyrni, OFI, and Panetolikos are must wins.

Panathinaikos announce Kappa partnership

Meanwhile, in other news, Panathinaikos have announced a new partnership with Italian kit manufacturer Kappa. The deal will start as of the 1st of July, 2019 and will run for two years. Kappa will exclusively design all shirts for the club, as well as other merchandise and training wear. This comes as great news after stints under larger companies such as Nike, Adidas, and Puma, who have generally come up with generic, custom designs. Panathinaikos previously wore Kappa shirts in the 1990’s.

by Nick Tsambouniaris

Image Source: to10.gr

Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!