‘God of War’ praying for Larissa blunder

By: Peter Katsiris | April 25th, 2009

Aris heads into their final league fixture of the season with high hopes of qualifying for the Greek Super League playoffs, but their chances of partaking in the quadruplet that battles for Greece’s four remaining European spots after champions Olympiacos appear to be dim.

That’s because Larissa holds a two-point edge over the Thessaloniki giants and with just one round left on the Greek calendar, a win for Aris on Sunday might not be enough for Iomar Mazinho’s men.

With one eye elsewhere, Aris hosts Panthrakikos at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium (19:00 GR, ET3), while Larissa travels to Levadeia where Levadeiakos await the ‘Vyssini’ (19:00, ALPHA). A win is a must for Aris, especially if they are adamant about returning to the playoffs – and ultimately European competition – for the second consecutive season.

Their past European endeavour ended early as Croatian side NK Slaven Belupo ousted Aris in the second qualifying round with a 2-1 aggregate win. Hoping to erase their early exit from their memory, Aris looks to end a shaky season on a high.

Much to their fans dismay, Aris’ destiny depends on much more than the outcome in Thessaloniki. A win for Larissa would be the best result for Marinos Ouzounidis’ men, but in the meanwhile detrimental to Aris’ hopes. A draw for Larissa and victory for Aris would see both sides finish the Super League schedule level on points.

The Greek Super League rules and regulations state the first tiebreaker after points is the amount of points collected during head-to-head matches. Both matches ended in a draw, but Aris holds the advantage after a 1-1 draw at Larissa’s Alkazar Stadium betters the pair’s 0-0 stalemate in Thessaloniki.

The ‘Vyssini’, however, won’t be content with letting their advantage slip away; especially after last year’s nail biting finish to the Super League. A series of results, including a 4-3 defeat of PAOK on the last day, left Larissa on the outside looking in as Panionios edged the 2007 Greek Cup Champions for the final playoff spot. Failing to reach European competition since triumphing in the Greek Cup, and stunning Blackburn Rovers for a spot in the UEFA Cup Group Stage, Larissa will be hoping its long line of winter arrivals will pay off on Sunday.