SLGR Matchday 25 Preview: Derby Of The Dikefaloi At Toumba
GREEK SUPERLEAGUE - MATCHDAY 25
| Date | Home Team | Time | Away Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Mar-18 | Larissa | 8:00 AM | Kerkyra |
| 10-Mar-18 | Panionios | 10:15 AM | Atromitos |
| 10-Mar-18 | Panathinaikos | 12:30 PM | Asteras Tripolis |
| 11-Mar-18 | Platanias | 9:00 AM | Olympiacos |
| 11-Mar-18 | Xanthi | 11:15 AM | Panetolikos |
| 11-Mar-18 | Lamia | 11:15 AM | Levadiakos |
| 11-Mar-18 | PAOK | 1:30 PM | AEK |
| 12-Mar-18 | PAS Giannina | 1:30 PM | Apollon Smyrnis |
AGONAsport’s George Tsitsonis brings you a full preview for matchday 25 of the Greek SuperLeague.
Watch the critical SuperLeague derby between PAOK & AEK LIVE from AGONAsport on Sunday, March 11th!
AEK could take a gigantic step toward their first league title in over two decades when they face off against PAOK on Sunday in the highlighted fixture of Matchday 25 of the 2017/18 Greek Super League. Elsewhere, Olympiacos and Atromitos will try to keep their slim title hopes alive with away tests this weekend while the race for fifth place and the last European place is really beginning to heat up.
This weekend it’s all about the derby at Toumba on Sunday evening between AEK and PAOK. The AGONAsport Match of the Week pits league leaders AEK, currently five points clear at the top, against a PAOK side who have had a turbulent couple weeks. PAOK topped the table up until two weeks ago when their match against Olympiacos was abandoned due to a PAOK supporter hitting the Olympiacos coach with an object thrown from the stands. PAOK received a points deduction due to the incident as well as a 3-0 defeat in a ruling passed down this week.
Now, Razvan Lucescu’s side must defeat AEK if they are to retain hopes of winning the league. AEK meanwhile have capitalized on PAOK’s self-destruction and Olympiacos’ inconsistency to climb to the top of the standings. Manolo Jimenez has his side on the cusp of winning the championship, especially considering AEK’s schedule down the stretch is not the most difficult. If the Kitrinomavri can pass through Thessaloniki without losing this weekend, the league title could heading toward the yellow and black part of Athens.
Olympiacos continued to throw away points as they conceded a late penalty last weekend to Panathinaikos in a 1-1 draw. They head to Crete this weekend to face off against the league’s last-placed side Platanias, hoping to capitalize on the result between AEK and PAOK and at least climb to second.
Atromitos’ stellar season kept rolling on in last week’s victory over Xanthi. This weekend they make the short trip to Nea Smyrni to play Panionios. Atromitos are looking to finish the season strong and climb as high as possible, while Panionios have a battle on their hands to claim the final European berth.
This weekend’s matches begin on Saturday the early offering pitting Larisa against Kerkyra. Larisa are somewhat indifferent down the stretch, seemingly having avoided a relegation fight, but behind too far off to challenge for Europe. Kerkyra are not indifferent at all, in fact, they are level on points with Apollon Smirnis second from the bottom as they aim to avoid relegation.
Saturday’s late kick-off sees Panathinaikos tangle with Asteras Tripolis. Both teams were very impressive last weekend. Panathinaikos earned a point with 10-men against Olympiacos away from home, while Asteras handed PAOK their first loss in 16 matches.
Besides the PAOK-AEK derby and Olympiacos’ trip to play Platanias, two more fixtures are slated for Sunday. Lamia will look to pick up the points necessary to ensure safety as they hosts Levadiakos. The away side are still in with a shout to snag a European berth, even if they are still the longshots at this point. The other Sunday game is between Xanthi and Panetolikos. Xanthi are in the thick of the run for a European place and would like the three points on offer. Panetolikos’ recent resurgence was halted last week in a 2-1 defeat away to Apollon.
Finally, the Monday night match-up for this week features home side PAS Giannina and Apollon Smirnis. This could be an intriguing game with PAS fighting for European football and Apollon fighting to survive in the table.
