SLGR Matchday 7 Playoff and Matchday 6 Playout Preview: Crucial matches on all fronts

It will be a jam-packed weekend as the Greek Super League 1 season heads into the final stages. There may be two headlining derbies on tap on Sunday, but arguably just as important are Saturday’s playout fixtures which could go a long way in determining the outcome of the relegation battle.

Watch LIVE GREEK TV including full GREEK SPORTS coverage from AGONASport.com! 

Here is a daily breakdown of the weekend matches:

Saturday

Lamia - Larisa

Volos - Atromitos

Panionios - Panetolikos

Xanthi - Asteras Tripolis

OFI - Aris

For the playouts, it would not be an overstatement to call this Super Saturday. With just two matches remaining, all four playout encounters will kick off at the same time on Saturday evening. Lamia-Larisa and Volos-Atromitos are two fixtures where tension will not be found. All four of those sides are safe from the drop and all are playing for league position. Atromitos are set on finishing top of the playout table as they currently trail Asteras Tripolis by a single point. Larisa (34 points), Lamia (33 points), and Volos (31 points) are playing for the highest league placing possible.

In Nea Smyrni and Xanthi however, the situation will be much different. Those matches will feature the majority of teams playing for their top-flight lives. Panionios and Panetolikos will face off in the AGONAsport Match of the Week. It will be a match of crucial importance. Looking as though they were dead and buried at the beginning of the postseason, Panionios have clawed back from a big deficit to come within a point of safety. They are on 22 points while visitors Panetolikos are a point above them. With a trip away to Atromitos next weekend, Panionios will feel as though they have to win this match while a draw might be suitable for Panetolikos. Regardless, the result of this match, the last direct encounter between two of the relegation strugglers, could well be a defining result in the battle against the drop. 

In Xanthi, the home side, on 23 points and one point above the direct relegation position and just above the relegation playoff place on goal difference, take on Asteras Tripolis. Victory for Xanthi would go a long way in ensuring their survival, though they will have to work for it against an Atromitos side who is second in the playout table. 

The final match of the day is in the playoffs and pits OFI versus Aris. The game in Crete will be the one that could determine the final European place. Currently, Aris are in fifth and lead OFI by two points. A win for the Kritiki would see them leapfrog the Thessaloniki side going into the last two rounds of the playoffs. 

Sunday

Panathinaikos - AEK

Olympiacos - PAOK

The matchday finishes off with a pair of playoff games on Sunday. Both matches are two classic Greek football derbies. The Athenian derby is set for the Olympic Stadium in the early kick-off as Panathinaikos are the host team versus AEK in the ground the two sides share. AEK began the lead-up to this match with a four-point lead over PAOK in the race for second place. However, with PAOK’s appeal to CAS accepted over a seven-point deduction, AEK find themselves needing to make up ground once again. Panathinaikos will finish in fourth regardless of the outcome of their last three matches so the pressure will be off as the team plays for pride.

Olympiacos and PAOK clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. After winning the league title last season, PAOK promptly lost it to an Olympiacos side who had not won it since 2017. Olympiacos’ final matches will essentially be warm-ups for the Greek Cup final toward the end of the month and the return leg of their Europa League Round of 16 tie versus Wolves in early August. For PAOK, the success of their appeal to CAS changes the narrative of their season. After a period of poor form, the team now look to have a viable chance to finish second and grab a Champions’ League qualifier place.

Thank you for visiting AGONAsport.com, the only English based website for Greek sports fans across the world! Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest news in Greek Sports!