SLGR Matchday 9 Preview: PAOK welcome Panathinaikos to Toumba
AGONAsport’s George Tsitsonis previews matchday 9 of the 2019/20 Greek SuperLeague.
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Defending champions PAOK play host to Panathinaikos in the biggest fixture of Matchday 9 of the 2019/20 Super League 1 season. League leaders Olympiacos face a difficult away trip to Xanthi while AEK are at home to Atromitos and surprise third-place occupiers OFI make the trip to Larisa.
Below is a daily breakdown of the weekend fixtures:
Saturday
Panionios - Aris
Xanthi - Olympiacos
The weekend action begins in Nea Smyrni where Panionios take on Aris. The Thessaloniki side seem to be recovering after a mediocre start to the season. New manager Michael Oenning began his spell with a 2-0 victory over Panetolikos. Panionios are desperate for points as they remain rooted to the bottom of the standings.
Saturday’s late kick-off should be absorbing as Xanthi host Olympiacos. It’s never an easy trip up north for the Erythrolefki even if in recent years they have been able to pick up results. With a Champions’ League match on the horizon the question is how heavily will Pedro Martins rotate the team that defeated AEK last weekend. Xanthi began the season well, but recent defeats suggest their days in the top four may be numbered.
Sunday
Larisa - OFI
Panetolikos - Asteras Tripolis
AEK - Atromitos
PAOK - Panathinaikos
Four games are slated on Sunday with the first match between Larisa and OFI. It promises to be an interesting encounter between two sides currently punching above their weight in the league. OFI are third and are the season’s welcome surprise on 16 points and a goal difference of plus nine. Larisa meanwhile are in sixth, just four points behind the Cretans. Surprisingly, both teams suffered heavy Greek Cup defeats in midweek play with Larisa falling 3-0 to Kalamata while OFI lost at Kavala 2-0.
Troubled Panetolikos need to begin grabbing more points if they are to entertain thoughts of survival. The Agrinio club have just two points in an extremely poor start to the season. Their opponents this week are Asteras Tripolis. While Asteras struggled in the first part of the campaign they do appear to be improving in recent weeks with two wins in their last four matches including last weekend’s 4-1 rout of Lamia.
After succumbing to Olympiacos in last Sunday’s derby, AEK will attempt to rebound with a victory over Atromitos. Last round’s loss saw the Kitrinomavri drop to fifth in the standings. Atromitos have made an inconsistent opening to the season, but there was hope to be found in last week’s 4-0 thrashing of Panionios.
The AGONAsport Match of the Week is Sunday’s derby between PAOK and Panathinaikos at Toumba Stadium. PAOK remain on the heels of Olympiacos at the top, just two points behind their rivals. Though there was a real disappointment in the club falling out of Europe in the summer, the transition that new boss Abel Ferreira has overseen has been very positive with respect to the club’s league form. The Thessaloniki side are still undefeated and another league and cup double is the ultimate objective.
Panathinaikos have no such lofty ambitions. For a club in serious economic trouble over the last few years, the goal is to finish as high as possible, perhaps in the European places. Currently, even that looks beyond Giorgos Donis’ team as they languish in eighth place. There was widespread frustration after last weekend’s 2-1 home defeat to Larisa. A victory over PAOK would not only be helpful in propping the team up in the standings, it would also serve as a timely momentum boost for a club desperately needing an injection of hope.
Monday
Lamia - Volos
Lamia will contest a Monday night match for the second week in a row. The hope of their supporters is that things will improve after last Monday’s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Asteras Tripolis. Lamia remain one of the top relegation candidates and will go up against a Volos side who have enjoyed a decent start to the season. The newly-promoted side may have only won three of their first eight matches, but the performances have been widely viewed as good. The test now is to turn the displays into points on a more regular basis.
