SLGR Matchday 16 Preview: PAO v Aris highlights the round as 2019 comes to a close
AGONAsport’s George Tsitsonis previews matchday 16 of the 2019/20 Greek SuperLeague.
Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com!
The Greek Super League 1 finishes up 2019 with matches across Saturday, Sunday, and Monday this weekend. Matchday 16 is the last round of the calendar year with the standout tie set for Sunday night in Athens when Panathinaikos take on Aris.
Elsewhere, free-scoring Olympiacos look to continue their prolific run away to Volos while joint leaders PAOK return to Thessaloniki to face off against Atromitos.
Below is a daily breakdown of the weekend matches:
Saturday
Asteras Tripolis-Xanthi
Lamia-AEK
Two Saturday matches get things rolling during Matchday 16. The day begins in Tripoli as home club Asteras are matched up with Xanthi. Asteras’ 2-1 defeat to AEK during midweek action was their seventh match in a row without a victory. The Arkades have not won in the Super League 1 since a 4-1 victory over Lamia on October 28th. Xanthi’s form is almost as bad. After a red-hot start to the season, the club have since cooled off winning only one of their last nine matches. Both teams will be hoping to head into 2020 with a positive result.
In the day’s late kick-off, an intriguing match is scheduled between home side Lamia and visiting AEK. Lamia’s form has been superb in the last month and a half though the club have gone winless in their last two - a draw away to Atromitos and a narrow defeat to Panathinaikos. Still, Lamia are up to 10th in the table and appear to be serious about launching a challenge for the top six. AEK have won two on the trot since Italian manager Massimo Carrera took over. This should be Carrera’s biggest test yet. Another victory and the new manager bounce will be in full effect for the Kitrinomavri.
Sunday
Larisa-Panionios
Panetolikos-OFI
Volos-Olympiacos
Panathinaikos-Aris
Four matches take place on Sunday. The AGONAsport Match of the Week pits two European hopefuls against one another as Panathinaikos take on Aris. Panathinaikos have methodically worked their way up the table after a poor start to the season thanks to a seven-match unbeaten run. They will take on an Aris side who have blown hot and cold this season. The Thessaloniki club bounced back from a defeat against OFI with a victory over Volos on Thursday. Aris are tied with Panathinaikos in fifth and either side could leapfrog OFI into fourth pending on the weekend results.
Can Olympiacos score early and often again this weekend at Volos? That remains to be seen, but what is for sure is that Pedro Martins’ men have been on a scoring tear as of late. After a 1-1 draw with PAOK, the Erythrolefki have scored twelve times in three matches (all wins). Volos have been no pushovers in their first season in the top-flight where they are in eleventh place. After beating Panionios last week, Volos came crashing down to earth with a 4-0 loss to Aris.
Earlier in the day, two matches begin proceedings. OFI try to maintain their hold on fourth place when they travel to play winless Panetolikos. The Agrinio side have looked slightly more competitive in recent weeks though they continue to fail to pick up much from their matches. Panetolikos have racked up a mere four points from their last seven games. OFI meanwhile continue to be the surprise team of the Super League 1 season. They are coming off a draw against Panathinaikos in midweek, before that they secured an impressive win against Aris.
In Larisa, the hosts await the arrival of Panionios to the AEL FC Arena. Larisa’s aspirations for a European challenge have taken a dent as they have endured a terrible stretch (one win in six matches). Panionios are second to last in the standings and have been incredibly streaky this season. That inconsistency has not helped overall. Since early October the team have suffered a run of three straight losses only to go four matches unbeaten and then to their current streak of three more consecutive defeats.
Monday
PAOK-Atromitos
The final Super League 1 fixture of 2019 is the Monday night match-up between PAOK and Atromitos. This has all the making of a competitive encounter at Toumba Stadium. PAOK will not only be seeking to extend their run of 50 games unbeaten in league play, but will want nothing else except the three points as they keep pace with Olympiacos. Atromitos appear to be relishing the installment of new manager Savvas Pantelidis. They remain undefeated under their new boss and know a shock win in Thessaloniki would see them finish the year in the top six.
