Mantalos to miss derby against Olympiacos

It has been confirmed that AEK captain, Petros Mantalos, will miss the upcoming Super League derby against Olympiacos on Sunday after failing to recover from an injury in time.

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On Sunday, AEK will face arch-rivals Olympiacos in a vital clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium, but they will have to cope without in-form attacking midfielder Mantalos. Initially, there was hope that Mantalos would recover from an injury to his left leg in time for the headline battle in Piraeus, but reports have now confirmed that the 28-year-old will not be available for selection. The knock was sustained in the triumph over Volos NFC at the Georgios Kamaras Stadium on matchday seven.

Mantalos fired AEK to a dramatic 3-2 win against Volos in Rizoupoli last week by scoring twice in the second half. Overall, Mantalos has made five Super League appearances so far in the current season, registering two goals and four assists.

Fellow attacking midfielder Francisco Geraldes, who would have been a direct replacement for Mantalos, has also been ruled out with injury. Goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas is highly unlikely to participate in the match against Olympiacos as he continues to train individually after suffering a broken finger, while it is doubtful whether Swedish left-back Niklas Hult will be able to play as he recovers from illness. To put it lighly, head coach Nikos Kostenoglou has an ever-increasing headache when it comes to his line-up choices.

Kick-off in Piraeus is scheduled for 19:30 local time on Sunday. League leaders Olympiacos currently boast a five-point advantage over fourth-placed AEK.

by Shaun Nicolaides

Image Source: To10.gr

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