Plenty on the line in Dikefaloi derby
SUPERL EAGUE - MATCHDAY 18
AGONAsport previews the Super League derby between PAOK and AEK at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki.
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The pressure is on PAOK to prove their worth again. Last week, after 51 consecutive games unbeaten in the Super League, PAOK were beaten 4-2 by bitter rivals Aris at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium, a loss which allowed Olympiacos to open up a slender one-point lead at the top of the table. Initially, Karol Swiderski handed PAOK a quick lead in the Thessaloniki derby, but four successive goals from Daniel Larsson, Fran Velez, Lindsay Rose and Lucas Sasha resulted in a heavy loss. Leo Matos’ late consolation made little difference to the outcome.
At this point in the season, especially with the playoffs still yet to be played, the defeat to Aris certainly isn’t a critical one. However, fans were angered by the manner of the collapse, and a negative result against AEK at the Toumba Stadium will attract more bad press for Abel Ferreira.
PAOK are undefeated against AEK at home since the 2016/2017 Super League playoffs (0-1).
For their part, AEK have endured a rough first half of the current campaign, switching managers twice and currently languishing in a distant third position of the standings. Nevertheless, the arrival of Italian coach Massimo Carrera has increased hopes of a top-two finish, and AEK showed character on matchday 17 to defeat lowly Panetolikos 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium. Marko Livaja - twice - and Daniele Verde scored the goals.
AEK have not won a single Super League derby against either Olympiacos, Panathinaikos or PAOK since early 2018, when the Kitrinomavri subsequently claimed the title. A defeat in Thessaloniki could possibly ruin AEK’s faint championship hopes once and for all.
Earlier in the season, these two familiar foes produced a pulsating battle at the OAKA, as AEK twice came from behind to salvage a thrilling 2-2 draw. Karol Swiderski grabbed two goals for the visitors, while Dmytro Chygrynskiy and Milos Deletic registered markers for AEK.
TEAM NEWS: PAOK
Juan Angel Crespo returns to the squad after a period on the sidelines with an injury. On the other hand, Omar El Kaddouri isn’t fit enough to compete against AEK, even though he trained with the team on Saturday. Brazilian midfielder Mauricio is back after injury issues.
The biggest question is whether Zivko Zivkovic will maintain his place between the sticks after a poor showing against Aris. Alexandros Paschalakis could return after he kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 win at OFI midweek in the Greek Cup.
Possible line-up: Paschalakis, Giannoulis, Ingason, Varela, Matos, Vieirinha, Mauricio, Misic, Biseswar, Limnios, Swiderski.
TEAM NEWS: AEK
Talented midfielder Konstantinos Galanopoulos, out with a long-term injury, is the main AEK absentee. In comparison to the match against Panetolikos, a few personnel changes might be made by Carrera, with Petros Mantalos set to start ahead of Christos Almpanis on the left wing. Bosnian centre-back Ognjen Vranjes has been cleared to play after injury worries.
Possible line-up: Barkas, Hult, Chygrynskiy, Vranjes, Bakakis, Krsticic, Simoes, Mantalos, Verde, Livaja, Oliveira.
REFEREE: OREL GRINFELD (ISR)
Orel Grinfeld, a 38-year-old referee from Israel, will take charge of proceedings in Thessaloniki. In the summer, Grinfeld oversaw Olympiacos’ 1-0 win at Basaksehir in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, issuing eight yellow cards, one red card and one penalty. He was also the referee for AEK’s 3-2 home loss to Benfica in the Champions League in October 2018.
In the 2019/2020 Champions League group stage, Grinfeld refereed the Lokomotiv Moscow - Atletico Madrid (0-2), Manchester City - Atalanta (5-1) and Zenit Saint Petersburg - RB Leipzig (0-2) games.
Assistant referees: Roy Hassan (ISR), Idan Yarkoni (ISR)
Fourth official: Evangelos Manouchos (GRE)
