SLGR Matchday 5 Preview: Storm Clouds Gather As Olympiacos And PAOK Meet

AGONAsport’s George Tsitsonis previews matchday 5 of the 2018/19 Greek SuperLeague.

Watch LIVE from AGONAsport: Olympiacos - PAOK, Greek SuperLeague matchday 5 derby on Sunday, September 30th. Details here.

In the wake of the Mediterranean cyclone ‘Zorbas’ hitting the country, the Greek Super League resumes this weekend. Matchday 5 features a derby between Olympiacos and PAOK as the highlight fixture of the weekend.

Defending champions AEK look to bounce back from last week’s derby loss to PAOK as they head to Crete. Panathinaikos will be favorites to win their fifth straight, while Aris look to get back to winning ways in a tough home tie against Asteras Tripolis. Atromitos are once again high up in the table and take their consistent form away to Levadiakos.

Below is a day-by-day breakdown of this weekend’s matches.

Saturday

Larisa - Panetolikos

Panathinaikos - PAS Giannina

OFI - AEK

The weekend schedule kicks off in Larisa where the home side will take on Panetolikos. After winning their opener, Larisa have struggled, losing three straight. This weekend, new manager Gianluca Festa takes his place on the bench. Panetolikos have been unfortunate not to turn some draws into wins and will be seeking their second victory of the season.

Panathinaikos will aim to win their fifth straight match of the season as they host PAS Giannina on Saturday. Giorgos Donis’ team have been the surprise of the new season and will attempt to continue their strong start. PAS showed their ability to end undefeated runs last weekend as they defeated previously unbeaten Aris 1-0.

In the late kick-off, AEK go to Crete to take on OFI. Though Marinos Ouzounidis’ men created plenty of chances against PAOK last week, defensive mistakes saw them go down 2-0 in Thessaloniki. Now another difficult away trip beckons, though OFI have struggled losing three of their first four matches in their return to the Super League.

Sunday

Apollon Smirnis - Panionios

Levadiakos - Atromitos

Aris - Asteras Tripolis

Olympiacos - PAOK

The AGONAsport Match of the Week is Sunday’s derby pitting Olympiacos against PAOK. This has been one of the most fiery match-ups historically in Greek football, but especially in the last few seasons. Both teams have won their first four matches of the season, Olympiacos however lead at the top of the table by two points as PAOK have a -2 points deduction from last season.

PAOK defeated AEK 2-0 at home last weekend thanks to a brace from Aleksandar Prijovic, while Olympiacos won away to Panionios with a winner deep into injury-time. A win would give Olympiacos a five-point advantage over their rivals, while a PAOK victory at the Karaiskakis Stadium would surely cement their status as serious title challengers.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Apollon Smirnis and Panionios open the day in the early game. Apollon are the only side in the league without a point so far this season. Panionios have had an extremely difficult run of matches to begin the season and will see this game as a prime opportunity to win their first match of the campaign.

Atromitos will attempt to continue their good start with a victory against Levadiakos. Damir Canadi’s team, currently tied in second place on ten points with PAOK, show no signs of slowing down and it appears that they once again have the team to challenge for a top four position.

In the other Sunday match, it should be an intriguing contest at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium when Aris host Asteras Tripolis. This will be a game between two sides who have their sights firmly set on qualifying for Europe. Aris may have only just returned to the Super League, but their early form indicates they will fighting it out in the top half of the table.

Monday

Lamia - Xanthi

In Monday’s lone match, Xanthi make the trip down to play Lamia. Xanthi picked up their first victory of the season in impressive style by beating OFI last week 3-0. Lamia are still in search of their first win, though they did manage to secure their first point of the season in last week’s wild 2-2 draw away to Panetolikos.

by George Tsitsonis

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