League Leaders Collide In Piraeus

SUPERL EAGUE - MATCHDAY 12

AGONAsport previews the Greek Super League 1 derby between Olympiacos and PAOK at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Sunday evening.

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Whether it can live up to the hype or not remains to be seen, but this derby is easily the match of the season in Greece thus far. Olympiacos and PAOK have always been historic rivals, but in the last half decade they have been the preeminent forces in Greek football, fighting it out for titles on a yearly basis (barring a brief spell from AEK). Familiarity undoubtedly breeds contempt and the derbies involving these sides have been amongst the most ill-tempered to take place in Greece in recent years.

After claiming the elusive league title last season, PAOK sit atop the Greek football pyramid at the moment. Abel Ferreira’s men are the defending champions and have maintained a 46-match domestic unbeaten run that stretches back to 2018. Olympiacos meanwhile are attempting to wrestle back the league this season and have looked much improved in the early stages of this season. With traditional heavyweights such as AEK and Panathinaikos faltering, it is almost certain one of these two sides will be crowned league champions once again come May.

Olympiacos come into this game on the back of a difficult week. A late leveller by Panionios saw Pedro Martins’ men drop two points in Nea Smyrni last weekend meaning that PAOK went joint top alongside the Piraeus club. Then, the team managed to throw away a 2-0 advantage at Tottenham in midweek Champions’ League play, eventually going down 4-2 in London.

PAOK had a hiccup or two as the season began, but a couple of key late goals saved their unbeaten record and they are now even with Olympiacos at the top of the Super League 1 standings with 27 points.

Avoidance of defeat at the Karaiskakis Stadium would perhaps shift the momentum of the title race in the Thessaloniki side’s favor. A 1-0 victory in their last game against Larissa at Toumba Stadium may have been more routine than exceptional, but PAOK continue to rack up victories, not skipping a beat in Ferreira’s first season in charge.

While the two teams are sure to produce a passionate encounter, adding a bit of extra spice to this game is the previous history involving the two Portuguese managers. Ferreira and Martins faced off against one another back in February 2018 in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. It was then when Martins’ club Guimaraes were absolutely destroyed in a derby at home by Ferreira’s Braga 5-0. The defeat by Guimaraes’ local rivals ensured that Martins got the sack and ultimately paved the way for his arrival in Greece. Ferreira would love a similar result in this weekend’s titanic tilt while Martins surely would find joy in getting one over on his old foe.

TEAM NEWS: Olympiacos

The continuing high-profile errors of Yassine Meriah have seen him cut from the roster for Sunday’s derby and it is certain to suggest that Martins will entrust veteran center-back Avraam Papadopoulos with a place in the line-up next to Ruben Semedo.

Martins is also ready to give Mathieu Valbuena his first start since a return from injury. After a strong start to the season, spearheaded by the goals, creativity, and leadership of the French playmaker, Olympiacos have since had some mediocre displays in the last month. Valbuena has not started a match for the team since October 6th and has played only 88 minutes in total since then. His inclusion should provide a psychological boost to the Piraeus side.

The likes of Kostas Fortounis, Lazaros Christodoulopoulos, and Pape Abou Cisse remain long-term injury absences.

Possible line-up: Sa, Tsimikas, Papadopoulos, Semedo, Elabdellaoui, Bouchalakis, Camara, Valbuena, Masouras, El-Arabi, Podence

TEAM NEWS: PAOK

In recent days, Ferreira has tested out different players and line-ups hoping to find the right mix for the match against Olympiacos. Who will play on the flanks seem to be the biggest question concerning the reigning champs with the likes of Omar El Kaddouri, Vieirinha, and Dimitris Limnios fighting for two spots. It appears as though the latter two players have the edge at this point.

Elsewhere, Ferreira is set to keep his trust in his preferred midfield and backline of the last few weeks and of course with in-form striker Karol Swiderski as the lone man up front.

Leo Jaba and Pontius Wernerbloom are making progress in their recoveries from injury, but this match comes too soon for either to be able to take part.

Possible line-up: Zivkovic, Matos, Ingason, Crespo, Giannoulis, Misic, Douglas Augusto, Biseswar, Vieirinha, Swiderski, Limnios

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (Spain)

Sanchez Martinez is only 36, but had already managed to officiate two El Clasicos in his native Spain. Though he cannot count on a large degree of experience as he has only been refereeing at the top level since 2017, Sanchez Martinez has been consistently selected as a VAR referee in the Champions’ League.

He has not yet directly refereed a match involving a Greek club, however he was the VAR referee back in August when Olympiacos was home to Krasnodar in the Champions’ League playoffs.

Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez (Spain)

Assistant Referees: Raul Cabanero Martinez (Spain) Inigo Prieto Lopez de Cerain (Spain)

Fourth Official: Tasos Sidiropoulos (Greece)

VAR Referees: Jose Gallego Garcia (Spain) David Medie Jimenez (Spain)

by George Tsitsonis

Image Source: to10.gr

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