Super League offers plenty of excitement on Matchday 6

By: Peter Katsiris | October 17th, 2008

Toumba Stadium During a Derby during the 2007-2008 The Greek Super League takes center stage for supporters of Greek football, whom will hope their respective clubs will suffix for the recent national team slip up. After five matchdays the standings couldn’t be tighter, and with many intriguing fixtures on this week’s schedule the league rankings are bound for a reshuffling.

The action kicks off on Saturday with three matches to satisfy the appetite of anxious Super League supporters. Asteras Tripolis will look crack their apparent scoring jinx when they travel to Serres to face Panserraikos. With both clubs sitting near the foot of the Super League standings, both sides will be keen on collecting maximum points. Panserraikos will look to extend their winning streak after edging Thrasyvoulos in the team’s last outing. A return home should comfort ‘the Lions’, but Asteras Tripolis are never an easy side to face. The Arcadian club has struggled to hit the score sheet in recent outings, and will need Lucio Filomeno to propel Tripoli to the victory.

Ergotelis makes the long trip from Crete to Thessaloniki for their battle with centenary club Iraklis at the Kautanzogleio Stadium. Both sides have seen their fortunes reflect the opposite of their preseason expectations. After signing many quality players, Iraklis has yet to reach the win column. Ergotelis, meanwhile, has been the surprise of the season with their eight point total after four matches. The home side will need Cyprus International Michalis Konstantinou to be efficient in front of goal, while Ergotelis’ attack is fuelled by Super League leading scorer Patrick Ogounsoto.

Saturday’s late fixture sees two potential challengers encounter, when Aris and Panionios embrace each other at Nea Smyrni. Panionios will be boosted with the domestic debut of former Inter Milan great Alvaro Recoba. Aris, meanwhile, are in dire need of points after a slow start to this year’s campaign. Home comforts have treated Panionios surprisingly badly in the first few weeks of the new season; the only notable result was a 2-2 draw with AEK. If Panionios home record is bad, Aris’ away form is terrible as the “God of War” looks for its first win away from home win this weekend.

Action resumes on Sunday as the remaining five games take place across Greece. Initiating Sunday’s action will be a battle of two winless clubs as OFI Crete entertains bottom side Thrasyvoulos at the Pangkritio Stadium. OFI will be keen to rebound after a slim – and controversial – loss from two weeks ago. The Cretans will look to take advantage of the worst defensive line in the league with a win at home. For Thrasyvoulos, the season has been disastrous thus far and a good result away from Fyli will be necessary in order to restore a little confidence in one of the Super League’s promoted clubs.

Skoda Xanthi takes it three-game undefeated streak to Levadia for a battle with Levadiakos. Both sides have enjoyed a fairly successful start to the new season, but a tight encounter could be in store for the home side. Despite posting an undefeated record at home this far, Xanthi’s gritty defense has helped the ‘Queen of Thrace’ collect crucial points on away from home. The downside to Xanthi’s game is its offensive which has scored just three goals thus far. For Levadiakos, an early goal could prove to be the difference for a club hoping for a European berth.

AEK manager Georgios Donis will be reunited with his old club at OAKA, when Larissa visits the Greek capital. The ‘Dikefale’ seem to be reeling in the early stages of the season and the injury of captain Sotirios Kyrgiakos does not help a side desperate for domestic glory. AEK’s last outing was a defeat to rivals Olympiacos, and with suspensions and injuries plaguing AEK ahead of Larissa’s visit Sunday’s match should pose some difficulty for the ‘Enosi’. Although a week off can see a team lose its momentum, Larissa will be hoping this is not the case. It is unlikely the 2007 Greek Cup winners will reproduce the feat of scoring four goals in one match – as they did against OFI two weeks ago. But with AEK’s back line missing many key players, Larissa’s attack may enjoy long spells in AEK territory.

The Greek Champions conclude their two-game home stand on Sunday when Panthrakikos arrives at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. With Olympiacos sitting atop the table, the pressure to display quality football is ever so present – especially against a team dwelling in the basement of the Greek Super League. Diogo continues to be the driving force in attack for Olympiacos, while in the midfield Luciano Galletti has been the star. The latter will need to produce more of the same as his midfield counterparts, Predrag Djordjevic and Dudu are forced to sidelines due to nagging injuries. As for Panthrakikos, recent outings have seen the North-eastern club collect points against Iraklis and Panionios – maximum points against the latter. With their opponents struggling on the injury front, the newly promoted club could see the opportunity to snag an upset at the fortress known as Karaiskaki.

Finally, the most anticipated match of the weekend sees Panathinaikos travel to Thessaloniki to face PAOK at Toumba. The hosts will be confident to topple the Athenian giants, as a revived PAOK looks to continue its undefeated run. A flurry of summer signings has paid dividends as PAOK ownership has set one of Greece’s biggest clubs back on track. Despite PAOK’s strong track record this season, Fernando Santos’ club should expect a tough test from a Panathinaikos side searching for confidence ahead of their next UEFA Champions League fixture. With the ‘Greens’ in early trouble in Europe, the pressures of securing full points in Thessaloniki becomes all the more important. Panathinaikos will look to leap frog their opponents in the standings with a win, and edge closer – or keep pace – with their main rivals Olympiacos.