Without a tally in the last 309′ minutes away from home, Olympiacos’ potent attack was hungry for goals; however, it was Iraklis who had the first decent chance to break the deadlock. Panagiotis Kone fired a shot towards Antonis Nikopolidis’ goal, and with the former Greece international there to block Kone’s kick he was thankful for the upright just seconds later, as former teammate Michalis Konstantinou directed his awkward angled effort off the woodwork.

The Greek’s counterpart at the other end, Wojciech Kowalewski, was also thankful for the iron frame when Predrag Djordjevic’s corner was smashed against the post by a stretched Dudu. The Polish keeper was called to duty on the rebound, as Kowalewski was forced into a clutching save off Avraam Papadopoulos’ right-winged effort.

Olympiacos came closer to scraping ahead in the match, but Diogo failed to make the most of a pinpoint cross from Fernando Belluschi, as he sent his rising header over the crossbar.

The visitors began to camp out in the Iraklis for long periods of time, and with the pressure inflicted on this hosts it was just a matter of time for the match’s first goal to come. Sure enough, the breakthrough came just after the half hour mark, with Djordjevic volleying the visitors ahead. Belluschi reproduced an accurate cross from earlier, and the Olympiacos captain put his side ahead with a volleyed effort to the far corner.

Five minutes later Olympiacos tallied once again, with another volley-like goal extending Olympiacos’ advantage. A well crafted play in the midfield between Christos Patsatzoglou and Diogo resulted in the latter producing a cross towards Belluschi, who mirrored Djordjevic’s strike from moments before to give Olympiacos a 2-0 lead.

It was Konstantinou who led the Iraklis fightback at the other end, but Nikopolidis was superior to the Cypriot’s diving header as frustration began to settle in for the former Olympiacos striker.

With the lion’s share in possession – and rightly so in momentum – the early dismissal of Patsatzoglou, brought a high-flying Olympiacos back to earth. A 2-0 lead after forty-five minutes, however, would be a stiff barrier to crack for Iraklis. The injury to their captain, Anastasios Katsambis, Rodolfo Borel needed to shift his second-half lineup in order to revive a dominated Iraklis.

Like he did in the first half, Kone grabbed the first chance of what was supposed to be an energetic second frame. The youngster elevated to meet a free-kick from Fernando Marques, but there was little conviction in his aerial effort as an alert Nikopolidis produced a fine save.

The second half surprisingly didn’t live up to expectations, as few opportunities were created throughout the final forty-five minutes. Olympiacos continued to hold the larger share in possession, and Dudu made sure to stamp his mark on the match with a goal of his own on eighty-one minutes. The former CSKA Moscow midfielder controlled an aerial back pass from Anastasios Pantos, and with plenty of room fired a stunning strike into the top right corner of the goal.

A dynamic three-goal performance by Olympiacos left ‘O Gireos’ fittingly crippled, after the home side failed to keep pace with the Piraeus giants. The win snapped many streaks on this night, as Olympiacos returned to the win column away from home for the first time in three trips away from Karaiskaki. Meanwhile, the failure to secure three points on the home side’s part ended an winning spell that commenced Borel’s tenure as Iraklis manager.

Olympiacos can now set their sights to a midweek meeting with Portuguese side Benfica, as the Greek Champions lock horns with the Lisbon-based side at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday. Iraklis will take the next seven days to regroup and find their form before travelling to the Alkazar Stadium to face Larissa next Sunday.

Iraklis 0-3 Olympiacos
Djordjevic 34′, Belluschi 39, Dudu 81′

Yellow Cards:
Iraklis – Bourbos 24′, Die 44′.
Olympiacos – Patsatzoglou 4′ (44′), A. Papadopoulos 63′.

Red Cards:
Iraklis – none.
Olympiacos – Patsatzoglou 44′ (sent off after double booking).

Iraklis (Rodolfo Borel): Kowalewski, Bourbos, Perperidis, Katsambis (46′ Martos), Papazacharias, Foufoulas, Die, Kone (58′ Epstein), Marques, Papasterianos (80′ Giantsis), Konstantinou.

Olympiacos (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Domi, Pantos, A. Papadopoulos, Antzas, Dudu, Patsatzoglou, Galletti (84′ Oscar), Djordjevic, Belluschi (69′ Mendrinos), Diogo (80′ Kovacevic).

Referee: Kyros Vassaras

Venue: Kaftanzogleio Stadium, Thessaloniki, Greece.

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.

After toppling rivals AEK two weeks at home, Olympiacos will look to rekindle that momentum as they continue to fend off their closest rivals from the Greek summit. Currently maintaining their normal rank of first among Greek rankings, Olympiacos look poised to continue their success; however, stubborn opposition might cancel potential deliveries of success.

The Greek Champions will look to retain – if not further – their position atop the Greek Super League standings as they host promoted club Panthrakikos at Karaiskaki on Sunday. Surely Olympiacos is favoured to collect maximum points; however, the visitors shouldn’t be taken lightly after they upset Panionios on the preceding matchday.

Only four days later, Olympiacos begins its UEFA Cup Group Stage schedule with a trip across the Aegean Sea to Turkey for a reunion with Turkish Champions Galatasaray. It is expected the ‘Eruthroleuki’ will have a challenging week, as the “war” shifts to multiple fronts.

With so much excitement and anticipation surrounding the Karaiskaki club, the next seven days should keep everyone entertained.