The Favorites For Greek Super League 2018/19
Super League football will start up again at the end of the month, and it figures to be another interesting season in Greece. In part, this is because it appears to be the last season in which 16 teams will compete in the top flight, with changes coming in the next few years. Three teams will likely be relegated following the 2018/19 season, and in the near future, we could see as few as 12 teams competing in the Super League. For now, though, we’ll again see 16 clubs battling it out at the top of Greek football.
By the time the matches roll around, we’ll likely be able to look at official odds and identify the teams that are being deemed statistically likely to compete at the top of the league. Numerous trusted sites are available for this kind of information geared at football betting, and they can be helpful for assessing new league seasons early on. At this point however, most major platforms are focused largely on the English Premier League, such that odds for some of the other leagues around Europe are few and far between.
Nevertheless, we’re taking a look at a few of the teams that will almost certainly be among the betting favorites come August 25th and the beginning of a new season. Unsurprisingly, they’re the same teams that finished toward the top this past spring.
Olympiacos
The real surprise on this list might be putting Olympiacos back in the top spot, after a disappointing 2017/18 campaign. Then again, Olympiacos did secure seven straight league titles before last season, so perhaps it’s not such a big surprise. Put simply, it’s fair to expect a little bit of a rebound. This team was still the most offensively proficient last season and could get a boost on defense via a loan deal for Wolves centre-back Roderick Miranda. It’s not a given, but we’d expect this bunch to be right back in the mix for a title.
AEK Athens
AEK is in the midst of a very strong run, having won a fairly convincing 2018/19 league title and begun Champions League qualifying. Allowing just 12 goals over the course of the entire Super League season was a remarkable feat. That will be very tough to duplicate, particularly with the loss of some goalkeeping depth and centre-back Ognjen Vranjes in the offseason. Even so, the returning roster has enough strength to compete, and a slew of loans from Serie A (centre-back Marios Oikonomou, centre-forward Ezequiel Ponce, and centre-forward Lucas Boyé) won’t hurt.
PAOK Thessaloniki
PAOK Thessaloniki actually finished in second place and ahead of Olympiacos, if you’ll recall, meaning this team is entering 2018/19 on something of a high. The club thrived on defense a season ago, joining AEK as the only team to allow fewer than 20 goals. And this year, there appears to be a clear attempt to add some offensive firepower to the equation. Reserve centre-forward Chuba Akpom from Arsenal and Akhmat Grozny’s left winger Léo Jabá are two of the more high-profile signings of the summer for top Super League teams, and both could help Thessaloniki to stay at the top, and possibly challenge for a title.
Again, official odds will likely follow, and it’s not exactly bold to choose last season’s top three finishers for this list. But at least as things stand heading into the season, these are the clubs that will be most competitive in the Super League.
