Leading trio set for thrilling run of matches
So far, AEK, PAOK and Olympiacos have all been unstoppable in the 2018/2019 campaign, but in the coming weeks, they will be tested to their limits in a run of incredibly difficult matches. AGONAsport investigates further.
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There haven’t yet been any derbies in the current season, but before the next international break begins in early October, AEK, PAOK and Olympiacos will all play against each other in matches which will determine who are the favourites for the Super League title. On top of those games, the clubs have important European dates and their coaches possess the daunting task of rotating their respective squads while still achieving results at the same time. Let’s investigate in detail:
AEK
This year, AEK have made the perfect start to the campaign with two wins in the Super League (PAS Giannina 2:0, Asteras Tripolis 1:0) and qualification for the UEFA Champions League group stage, but things are about to get a whole lot tougher. It all starts on Saturday, when AEK host Panionios at the Olympic Stadium. While Panionios have encountered financial issues, the Nea Smyrni outfit can still cause real problems for Greece’s big guns, in particular beating AEK in the 2016/2017 European playoffs and often making the Enosis’ life difficult. Taking into account the upcoming fixtures, AEK simply have to earn the three points to be in ideal shape for the supposedly more testing games.
On Wednesday, the Kitrinomavri travel to Amsterdam to play Ajax in the maiden Champions League group stage fixture, before AEK then take on arch-rivals PAOK at the Toumba Stadium next Sunday. After that, the club have crucial games against OFI (away), Benfica (home) and Olympiacos (home) ahead of the international break, a horrible run of matches which will stretch Marinos Ouzounidis’ thin squad to its limits. Key players Helder Lopes and Marko Livaja are banned for the opening four Champions League matches, Lucas Boye is still injured, and Anastasios Bakasetas cannot play with Ajax. If AEK can somehow escape unscathed, it will be a huge achievement.
AEK’s schedule for the next six matches:
September 15, AEK - Panionios, Super League;
September 19, Ajax - AEK, Champions League;
September 23, PAOK - AEK, Super League;
September 29, OFI - AEK, Super League;
October 2, AEK - Benfica, Champions League;
October 7, AEK - Olympiacos, Super League.
PAOK
Apart from the Champions League heartbreak, PAOK have looked solid in the early stages of the season, defeating Basel and Spartak Moscow in Europe’s premier competition. Domestically, the Dikefalos tou Vorra haven’t exactly been showing superb football, but like any strong team, they managed to dig deep and get slender victories over Asteras Tripolis (1:0) and Panionios (1:0). PAOK face OFI in Heraklion on Saturday, but after that duel, their fixture list becomes daunting with consecutive games against Chelsea (H, Europa League), AEK (H, Super League), Olympiacos (A, Super League) and BATE Borisov (A, Europa League).
PAOK’s battle against AEK at the Toumba Stadium is the Super League’s first derby of the season, and given the chaos witnessed in this match-up a few months’ ago, it promises to be a tense, pulsating game. The team’s capabilities will then be given another pivotal examination away to Olympiacos in Piraeus. In the Europa League, Chelsea will probably field a weakened line-up in Thessaloniki, but the trip to Belarus to play BATE Borisov is a potential banana skin. Razvan Lucuesu’s squad does have reasonable depth and PAOK should be able to cope with the schedule.
PAOK’s schedule for the next six matches:
September 15, OFI - PAOK, Super League;
September 20, PAOK - Chelsea, Europa League;
September 23, PAOK - AEK, Super League;
September 30, Olympiacos - PAOK, Super League;
October 4, BATE - PAOK, Europa League.
Olympiacos
Under the guidance of Portuguese manager Pedro Martins, the new-look Thrylos have captured the headlines with excellent displays, making the UEFA Europa League group stages and emerging victorious in the first two matches of the Super League campaign (Levadiakos 1:0, PAS Giannina 5:0). This Sunday, Olympiacos’ run of three successive domestic championship home matches comes to an end against Asteras Tripolis, a game which requires a maximum amount of effort from the Erythrolefkoi. In the previous season, the Piraeus club could only draw twice against Asteras (1:1 home and away), so they have a point to prove at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
Spanish organisation Real Betis travel to Greece on Thursday to play Olympiacos and the Thrylos are eager to get off to a winning start in the Europa League group phase. In the subsequent games, Olympiacos play Panionios in Nea Smyrni, host PAOK, fly to Italy for a Europa League match with AC Milan and compete against AEK at the Olympic Stadium. These blockbuster matches really will show whether Olympiacos are ready to return to their glory days again.
Olympiacos’ schedule for the next six matches:
September 16, Olympiacos - Asteras Tripolis, Super League;
September 20, Olympiacos - Real Betis, Europa League;
September 24, Panionios - Olympiacos, Super League;
September 30, Olympiacos - PAOK, Super League;
October 4, AC Milan - Olympiacos, Europa League;
October 7, AEK - Olympiacos, Super League.
