Queue forming for Europa League ticket
After 16 rounds of player in the Super League, the battle for fifth place and a possible UEFA Europa League berth is beginning to really heat up. AGONAsport investigates.
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This year, the top two Super League teams will enter the UEFA Champions League at the second qualifying round stage, while the clubs in third and fourth will play in the second stage of Europa League qualification. However, if the winner of the Greek Cup has already secured a European berth for the 2019/2020 season, the fifth placed Super League team will also be granted a ticket for the Europa League second qualifying round while the Super League’s third placed team will enter the third qualifying stage.
At the moment, that team is Panathinaikos, as the Greens occupy fifth place with 23 points in 16 matches. Nevertheless, even if the Athenians do finish in fifth place, they will not be allowed to compete in the Europa League due to a punishment from UEFA, meaning the club in sixth would instead be gifted a European berth. In the event that Panathinaikos finished fifth, they would wipe out the ban in place and be eligible for UEFA competitions which start in the 2020/2021 season.
Three teams are currently tied for fifth: Panathinaikos, Aris and Xanthi. Initially, Aris made a superb start to the campaign after earning promotion from the Football League, but a poor run of form cost Paco Herrera his job and the Thessaloniki outfit have continued to struggle under boss Savvas Pantelidis. Xanthi have also shown signs of inconsistency, but they’ve made a solid start to 2019, snatching a dramatic 2:2 draw at Panathinaikos and defeating Atromitos 2:1.
Panetolikos, one of the Super League’s pleasant surprises this season, are just behind them in seventh with an impressive 22 points. Managed by 2004 European champion Traianos Dellas, Panetolikos have been a tough nut to crack, especially when playing in Agrinio. Last weekend, they did drop a large 3:0 defeat to OFI in Heraklion, but they have beaten reigning champions AEK at home and Aris in Thessaloniki. It would be a major shock to see Panetolikos qualify for Europe, but if they continue punching above their weight, their continental dream could become a reality.
Midtable, AEL and Panionios are even on 19 points apiece, but while the former have gradually improved over the course of the season, Panionios have stumbled across troubled waters with reports of financial trouble in Nea Smyrni. Panionios haven’t tasted victory in five successive league games, and right now, their main target is simply keeping afloat and protecting their status as a Super League club.
Eleventh placed Asteras Tripolis have flopped, but even taking into account their underwhelming campaign to date, they still harbour an outside chance of repeating last season’s success and making the Europa League. After all, the difference between fifth and 11th place is only a mere five points, and Asteras do boast a strong enough squad to challenge.
Current 2018/2019 Super League standings between 5th and 12th positions:
5. Panathinaikos, 23 points
6. Aris, 23 points
7. Xanthi, 23 points
8. Panetolikos, 22 points
9. AEL, 19 points
10. Panionios, 19 points
11. Asteras Tripolis, 18 points
Here are the next seven Super League matches for the seven clubs in question:
PANATHINAIKOS
AEL (H)
Panetolikos (A)
Levadiakos (A)
PAS Giannina (A)
Asteras Tripolis (H)
Panionios (A)
PAOK (H)
ARIS
Levadiakos (A)
Xanthi (A)
PAS Giannina (H)
Asteras Tripolis (A)
Panionios (H)
PAOK (A)
AEK (H)
XANTHI
Panetolikos (A)
Aris (H)
OFI (A)
Lamia (H)
AEL (A)
Levadiakos (H)
PAS Giannina (A)
PANETOLIKOS
Xanthi (H)
Panathinaikos (H)
Lamia (A)
AEL (H)
Levadiakos (A)
PAS Giannina (H)
Asteras Tripolis (A)
AEL
Panathinaikos (A)
Olympiacos (A)
Atromitos (H)
Panetolikos (A)
Xanthi (H)
Lamia (A)
OFI (A)
PANIONIOS
AEK (H)
Asteras Tripolis (H)
Olympiacos (A)
Apollon Smyrnis (H)
Aris (A)
Panathinaikos (H)
Atromitos (A)
ASTERAS TRIPOLIS
Olympiacos (H)
Panionios (A)
Apollon Smyrnis (A)
Aris (H)
Panathinaikos (A)
Atromitos (H)
Panetolikos (H)
