Athens braces for wrath of Eternal Derby

By: Peter Katsiris | November 9th, 2008

All eyes will be on Athens on Sunday as the Greek capital braces itself for the mother of all battles, as arch-rivals Olympiacos and Panathinaikos meet in the Olympic city. The former will have the comforts of their home ground, as they attempt to end a monumental week on a winning note. The visitors will make the short trek north to Athens, but the Piraeus-based club will be keen to defend its honour as Greek Champions while seeking a win at the cathedral of their hated rivals.

A dominant second half against Werder Bremen made headlines for Panathinaikos, as the ‘Tryfili’ triumphed in Bremen with a 3-0 win on Tuesday. Evangelos Mantzios’ club-leading third tally of the UEFA Champions League group stage initiated the scoring at the Weser Stadion, while later strikes: a stunning finish from Georgios Karagounis, followed by a fortunate deflection of Alexandros Tziolis’ effort put the game out of Bremen’s reach. The triumph suffixed any disappointment inflicted by the ‘Prasini’ in recent weeks; as Henk Ten Cate’s side quickly went from under fire to on fire.

It hasn’t been success in Europe that has made the ‘Tryfili’ tick, but last weekend’s 2-1 win over Panionios proved Panathinaikos is in stride for Super League success. However, the task on Sunday night will reach a level of its own as Olympiacos’ pedigree stands tall.

Injuries will plague Panathinaikos’ starting line, forcing Henk Ten Cate to shuffle his line-up ahead of the Super League’s marquee matchup. But unlike usual scenarios, it is only one injury that the Dutch manager must cope with, while a suspension also forces the former Chelsea assistant’s hand. Greek starlet Sotirios Ninis continues to nurse an injury, while South African Bryce Moon is unavailable after the red card he picked up at Nea Smyrni last weekend.

For Olympiacos, the Piraeus giants must feel they are in a role-reversal as it was just last year that the Greek Champions faced the prospect of a Bremen trip and a similar performance gave the visitors an emphatic win. Now, with the tables turned, Olympiacos prepares for a rocky road to success in Athens as their revived opponents will prove to be a tough test.

With the format of the UEFA Cup giving Olympiacos a night off, ‘O Thrylos’ enjoyed a week off after their 2-0 win over Ergotelis last weekend. Treks away from their home fortress have not been as fulfilling as matches at Karaiskaki. With only two nicks on their domestic record this season, the loss to Aris in Thessaloniki and a scoreless stalemate draw in Crete against OFI have been the relative story line for Olympiacos. Surely success has come, with a win against Skoda Xanthi supporting the cause. None of these matches, however, can equate to the pressure Ernesto Valverde’s men will face at OAKA on Sunday night. A criticised Champion of the Super League heads into the Greek capital looking for answers, as last weekend’s win over Ergotelis sparked the club’s return to victory.

Like his sideline counterpart, Ernesto Valverde is expected to provide cover as few absences litter Olympiacos’ pre-game notes. Usual center-back, Paraskevas Antzas, is expected to miss the derby due to an injury. On the attacking front, out-of-favour striker Konstantinos Mitroglou is out indefinitely as the Greece U-21 international nurses a calf injury.

Historically, Olympiacos has dominated the all-time series with their hated rivals to the north. After ninety-eight meetings in the Greek top flight, Olympiacos has emerged victors on thirty-four occasions; Panathinaikos, meanwhile, have only twenty-five wins to their name. However, the most intriguing result must come with the realization that the traveling side has gone winless in 28 years against Panathinaikos based on November meetings. Surely a confusing statistic to wrap one’s self around, after all the last time the two sides met, all be it a Greek Cup game, Olympiacos thumped Panathinaikos with a 4-0 victory at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.

As experts continuously dissect past encounters to predict the eventual outcome, it won’t be the pre-game predictions that determine the winner but it will be up to twenty-two players on the OAKA Spyro Louis field that determine the final score line.

Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos ~ Trailer
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