Olympiacos looking to maintain grip on first place
SUPER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 19
AGONAsport previews the big derby from Matchday 19 of the Greek Super League 1 between Olympiacos and Aris.
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It has all the makings of an intense encounter on Sunday night at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus when Olympiacos host Aris.
Olympiacos are looking to maintain their grip on first place in the Super League 1. They are coming off of two straight four-goal efforts after disposing of Lamia in league play 4-0 last Sunday and then seeing off Kalamata at home in the Greek Cup during the midweek in a 4-1 win.
With key players returning from injury, Pedro Martins can look to the rest of the season with increased optimism as his side try to win the league for the first time in three seasons.
After taking a stumble away to Larisa last week in a 0-0 draw, Aris bounced back to defeat Xanthi 2-1 and advance to the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup. Michael Oenning’s men have been inconsistent for large stretches of the season and the Larisa draw indicated they have not yet figured out how to win away from home. In fact, Aris have won only once on their travels this season, drawing six times and losing twice.
The massive victory to start the year against PAOK has helped propel the side to fourth place. The fight to finish in the top six and reach the playoffs is a tight one however and in order for Aris to ensure they grab a spot they must simply improve their points total away from home.
TEAM NEWS: Olympiacos
The team news for Olympiacos is positive on the whole. The match against Kalamata saw the return of Kostas Fortounis to first-team action after missing the last six months due to an ACL injury. Midfielder Guilherme also returned to action and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos continued his positive return from knee injury with 68 minutes of action. All three players should be available for selection this weekend.
Yassine Benzia will miss out as a recent strain will see him be ruled out for the next ten days. Daniel Podence’s status is uncertain and a decision regarding his availability will be made close to the game.
Possible line-up: Sa, Tsimikas, Ba, Semedo, Gaspar, Camara, Bouchalakis, Valbuena, Podence, Masouras, El-Arabi
TEAM NEWS: Aris
A shoulder injury picked up against Larisa could sideline goalkeeper Julian Cuesta for this weekend’s match. The Spanish player featured against Xanthi in the Greek Cup only after receiving an injection. His status remains probable. Missing out for Aris will certainly Martin Tonso is recovering from injury while teammate Bruno Gama is questionable. Lucas Sasha is out as he serves a one-game suspension.
Possible line-up: Cuesta, Korhut, Delizisis, Velez, Rose, Martinez, Matilla, Mancini, Fetfatzidis, Larsson, Ideye
