Step Up Needed
AGONAsport’s AEK contributor, Greg Gavalas, talks about the Enosis’ derby clash against rivals Olympiacos on Sunday and how the team will need to step up with the absence of in-form Petros Mantalos.
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AEK go into Sunday’s clash with Olympiacos chasing a derby win after a 1.5-year winless drought. Their last derby win came on April 1st, 2018 – and this isn't any April fool's joke! On that day, AEK beat Panathinaikos 3-0 but have not tasted victory over their big-three opponents (Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, PAOK) since.
Olympiacos find themselves in decent form. Their form in Europe against Tottenham and Bayern Munich has certainly been impressive and worrying for all Greek opposition before their visit to Piraeus. The Reds are also leading the Greek Championship by two points ahead of last year's champions, PAOK.
Olympiacos will be without Frenchman, Mathieu Valbuena, who has been sidelined due to injury. The 35-year-old midfielder was in hot form before injuring himself although he could be back in a fortnight, if not less.
AEK received the devastating news that captain, Petros Mantalos, will not be fit for the derby in Piraeus, although doubt on him playing grew each day as he struggled to recover from an injury to his left leg. The 28-year-old Greek international has been a pivotal part of AEK’s reform under coach Nikos Kostenoglou and he has four assists and two goals to show for that.
Also on the injured training schedule are Chico Geraldes, Vasilis Barkas, and Daniele Verde although the Italian is looking set to possibly start in place of Mantalos. This is a considerable downgrade for AEK and I would really prefer Christos Albanis to replace the captain, despite Verde playing his best game for AEK last week.
Ognjen Vranjes returns to the fold and his speed and determination will be a welcome addition for AEK.
It will be interesting to see which formation Kostenoglou starts with. It is fair to say that Plan A has been a back three in matches with Vranjes, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, and Michalis Bakakis while Andre Simoes and Kostas Galanopoulis sit in front of them in midfield.
Plan B has seen a four at the back approach with Niklas Hult at the left-back spot. Hult is also an injury concern and might not be fit for Sunday’s fixture.
For AEK to win, the team needs to really step up and be ready from the first second as Olympiacos like to start strong. Marko Livaja is also in great form and he will no doubt feature with Nelson Oliveira starting upfront. The Portuguese international has drawn mixed reactions on the field with some good performances and others, like myself, expecting to see much better and sharper performances in the future.
With Verde looking odds on favourite to start, I would love to see Albanis utilized in attack later in the game. He has not been used much of late and it is a mistake to not utilize a player of his abilities. He can run at players, play a good pass, is fast, and can score.
Olympiacos can get into a real wave at the Karaiskaki Stadium and if AEK do not go at them with possession, it is only a matter of time before they score.
Olympiacos’ weakness this year is their defense. Yassine Meriah and Ruben Semedo are said to start in the center and both can be prone to errors. This is where Oliveira and Livaja can make some inroads and threaten the Olympiacos goal.
AEK will need to control and defend against the runs of Kostas Tsimakas, who has been in great form on the left flank. He put in a stellar performance against Bayern Munich during the week and will surely be a handful for the Kitrinomavri. Leonardo Koutris is also a threat and incidentally leads the team with assists at three. Regardless of who starts, Bakakis will have a good test on his hands with his international teammates.
Only 25% of AEK’s goals have come in the first 45 minutes this season. On that trend, it will be important to not concede in the first half as the Dikefalos looks for win number 19 against Olympiacos since 1997. Sitting in fourth place and already five points away from the top of the table, AEK need a win to stay in touch or a draw to be within reach of the Piraeus giants.
