IN:
Onyewu (Standard Liège)
Zuela (Xanthi)
Nihat (Villarreal)
Wagner Love (CSKA)
Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)
Luis (Belenenses)
Papa Babacar Diawara (Maritimo Funchal)
Rasmus Elm (Kalmar FF)
Ledesma (back from Loan)
Leto (Liverpool)
Derbyshire (Blackburn)
Bottinelli (Sampdoria)
Materazzi (Inter Milan)
Lua Lua (Qatar)
Geoffrey Dernis (Saint Etienne)
Seitaridis (Atlético Madrid)
Gekas (Portsmouth)
Katsouranis (Benfica)

OUT:
Leonardo (4 million, unkown team)
Raul Bravo (Russia)
Patsa (Galatasaray)
Belluschi (Fiorentina)
Leto (Juve)
Galletti (Juve)
Dudu (Juve)
K. Papadopoulos (Juve)
Torosidis (Juve, Blackburn)
——

Ok thats it for now. Basically, Olympiakos is going after the worlds best players and Juve will take our current roster off our hands.

p.s. if your expecting more reports on my travels to greece… im too lazy just check my facebook for pictures

The reports indicate Olympiacos are interested in another central defender as Paraskevas Antzas is expected to retire at season’s end. Materazzi appears to be the number-one choice for the Greek Champions, while supporters salivate over the possibility of the controversial World Cup Winner arriving in Piraeus in the summer.

While his legacy holds more controversy due to his involvement in the “head butt heard ‘round the world”, Materazzi would form a solid partnership with Avraam Papadopulos.

Djordjevic calls it quits

The most successful player in Olympiacos’ history, Predrag Djordjevic, revealed earlier this week he would be ending his career at season’s end. With twelve league triumphs with the Piraeus, Djordjevic is set for the final curtain as the former Serbian international prepares for life after football. It is not certain if Djordjevic will be offered a job within the organization, either as a technical director or scout, but the Serb and his patriot Darko Kovacevic will both leave gaps in the Olympiacos roster with their departure.

Mitroglou out for four weeks

Kostas Mitroglou suffered an injury while on duty with the Greek U-21 side last weekend, and the striker is expected to be out for the next four weeks – practically putting an early end to his season. Mitroglou did impress before succumbing to injury as he scored twice during Greece’s 3-1 win over neighbours F.Y.R.O.M. in Tripoli.

UEFA fines Olympiacos

The big-wigs at UEFA have fined Olympiacos a well-rounded 75,000 euros and one match behind closed doors after clashes between Olympiacos fans and those of Saint-Etienne in February. No word if Olympiacos will appeal this sanction, but most likely they won’t and will serve their second match behind in closed doors in the last two seasons – the last came in the UEFA Champions League against Lazio last year.

Remember that? Well if you don’t, that’s basically PAOK’s Sergio Conceicao and Antonis Nikopolidis getting involved in a tussle in the player tunnel at the Toumba Stadium in Thessaloniki.

If the first wasn’t bad enough, do you remember this one? That’s Pablo Garcia auditioning for the next edition of the legendary motion picture Rocky. Yes, you heard me. That is PAOK’s Pablo Garcia punching Olympiacos’ Diogo in the gut with an uppercut not elusive enough to avoid the cameras at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus.

Now those prior two occasions surely had to get you people thinking, “…damn these PAOK players”; however, if it didn’t, this last one (it starts at 0:15, and replays until 0:48 when a scrum breaks out) and replays featuring Sergio Conceicao once again has to go to get you saying “What’s your beef, man?” Like seriously, is ol’ Sergio trying to be known as Conceic-owwwwww? Only Sergio knows I guess…

Today’s Itinerary:
Today I am departing from Washington Dulles International airport bound for Athens. I have a 2-hour layover in Frankfurt and my flight from Dulles leaves in an hour. HOLY CRAP!!! MY FLIGHT LEAVES IN AN HOUR!!! Im at the airport now on wifi… I had to pay $5.99, but it was worth it. I got to the airport 2 hours early because security and checking in are always a mess at any DC airport, but as my luck would be, it only took me 9 minutes to get my boarding pass and thru security– crazy German efficiency!

Im off to go wander around the airport for a bit, just thought I would give my first update… hopefully the krauts give me a beer on the flight.

UPDATE: IM IN ATHENS!!! Here is what I wrote on the plane:

Lufthansa: Das gut!
Guys, if you ever have the choice, fly Lufthansa. This is seriously the best flight I have ever been on. The captain speaks German and English over the speaker, and his English sounds just like German and the plane is a bit warmer than I would like but those are the only two faults I can find with this flight. Actually I lied, there is a third problem, when I booked this flight, it was supposed to have wireless internet on the plane. Ends up due to our shit-tastic economy these days, the firm that provided Lufthansa with their flying internet has gone under and the plane no longer has the capability so even though I am writing this blog on the plane you wont be able to read it until I land.

We started boarding about 10 minutes late but these krauts, ever the sticklers for efficiency, starting taxing at 550 just as they said they would even though people were not sitting down. No pointless delay because malakes cant find their seats: +1. After about an hour in the air it was dinner time. I had the choice of spaghetti with marinara sauce or chicken with rice and corn. The chicken was actually good (well as good as youre gonna get on an airplane.) And I had a Warsteiner Premium Verum to wash it down, that was one hell of a beer. After dinner they gave us our choice of coffee, cognac or bailey’s I am currently sipping on a glass of cognac . Now on to Frankfurt and my 2 hour layover at 6 a.m….. Maybe I will get to see Amanatidis in the airport .

UPDATE AGAIN:

I just called my contact at PAOK and he has my ticket in his possesion, i just have to meet up with him before the game to pick it up. I just booked my flight on Aegean Airlines for 99 euros and will be leaving in the morning

–pictures from the flight and airports coming soon

Already leading the tie after last week’s astonishing 3-1 win at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, Saint-Etienne capped an impressive round of thirty-two performance by handing the Greek Champions their third consecutive loss in all competitions.

Knowing nothing less than three goals would give them the slightest of chances to reach the round of sixteen, Olympiacos’ objective heading into the replay revolved around offensive responsibilities. The forecast for Saint-Etienne was not as demanding as their Greek counterparts, but Alain Perrin’s men did need to focus on defense.

Failed launch

Olympiacos manager Ernesto Valverde might have chosen the wrong formation considering the expectations of his side, and it showed through the opening few minutes of the first half. The Spaniard likely grew frustrated as he watched his squad gain possession, but produced nothing meaningful throughout the opening ten minutes — apart from Christos Patsatzoglou’s speculative effort on eight minutes.

Instead of the visitors creeping close to the game’s first goal, Saint-Etienne nearly found twine when Paulo Machado forced Antonis Nikopolidis into his first save of the evening. The former Greece international was nearly called into action soon after as a mistake in the Olympiacos defense was nearly made tragic by an inaccurate Payet.

Sebastian Leto, fresh off a two-game absence, looked to mark his return in style by releasing an effort from quite some distance. A well executed effort from the on-loan Liverpool midfielder was not too difficult to handle for Saint-Etienne ‘keeper Jeremie Janot.

Much to the dismay of the traveling supporters, the hosts returned to the offensive when Mouhamadou Dabo provided a pinpoint cross for Ilan. Given all the ingredients for a clinical finish, Nikopolidis acted quickly to deny the Brazilian of his fifth goal of the competition.

On forty-one minutes it was Leto again pushing forward for Olympiacos. He streaked down the left flank with urgency before releasing a crease-cutting effort, but the Argentine’s hard work went to waste as the ball rolled harmlessly past Janot’s goal.

Quickly returning to the offensive, Oscar led the Olympiacos charge as he attempted to punish an out-of-position Janot with a long-range effort. Untroubled by Oscar’s speculative strike, Janot managed to recover and quickly initiated a counter-attack for ‘Les Verts’.

The French fluently transitioned from defense to attack with clever passes down the right flank. Working the ball to the center of the pitch, Payet was left with plenty of space and time at the edge of the Olympiacos box, allowing the Frenchman to fire a spectacular strike past Nikopolidis. Beating the former Greece international to the right corner, Saint-Etienne further complicated Olympiacos’ hopes of progression just before the interval.

Deflated dreams

With even more prerequisites imposed on Olympiacos’ bid to reach the round of sixteen, it was no surprise that Valverde opted to introduce a second striker ahead of the restart – a move likely made too late from an Olympiacos standpoint.

Assumingly bolstered by the addition of Matt Derbyshire in attack; however, the change didn’t offer resemblance on the match outlook. Again Olympiacos started the frame unconvincingly, and with yet another inaccurate effort from Olympiacos, this time from the foot of Oscar, initiating the frame’s proceedings.

Soon after, Olympiacos’ hopes of progress were prematurely purged as Ilan reproduced a similar rendition’s of Payet’s goal to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Having tallied in Piraeus last week, Ilan all but confirmed his side’s berth in the next round with a sweet strike to the top corner of Nikopolidis’ goal.

There was little response from Olympiacos, mainly due to their frustration as Saint-Etienne’s defense remained resolute. Disappointingly, the French looked to extend the lead on seventy minutes, but Nikopolidis routinely handled Geoffrey Dernis’ shot.

Olympiacos grabbed a consolation goal on seventy-five minutes through Oscar. The former Real Zaragoza man released a blast from outside the well outside the box, and with some help from the upright found its way past Janot.

While they managed to pull one goal back, the circumstances were just too little too late for Olympiacos. Kostas Mendrinos attempted to beat Janot just before stoppage time but his shot was just wide of the Frenchman’s goal.

With the final whistle confirming Olympiacos’ exit from the UEFA Cup, the Super League leaders now face a campaign likely already decided domestically, but attention is required in the Greek Cup. Another European campaign end on bitter terms, as Olympiacos was one of the favourites for a deep run into Europe’s second-tier competition.

With the progression, Saint-Etienne will be hoping their Ligue 1 season will improve as ‘Lez Verts; aim to escape a relegation battle in the French top flight. On European terms, Werder Bremen will be next up for the French side after the Germans overcame Italian giants AC Milan on away goals.

Both sides return to action this weekend, and Olympiacos meets with arch-rivals Panathinaikos at Karaiskaki for the latter half of the Super League’s most anticipated match. Saint-Etienne will look to put their overflowing confidence into good use when they visit principality outfit AS Monaco on Sunday.

AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 Olympiacos CFP
Payet 45′, Ilan 58′ – Oscar 75′

Yellow Cards:
AS Saint-Etienne – Tavlaridis 35′,
Olympiacos CFP – Antzas 25′, Diogo 35′, Pantos 39′, Patsatzoglou 45′ + 2′, Leto 66′, Mendrinos 84′.

AS Saint-Etienne (Alain Perrin): Janot, Varrault, Tavlaridis, Bayal, Dabo, Mirallas, Matuidi, Dernis, Payet (62′ Gigliotti), Machado, Ilan.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Pantos, Antzas, Zewlakow, Galitsios, Dudu (76′ Mendrinos), Patsatzoglou, Leto, Oscar, Torosidis (46′ Derbyshire), Diogo (65′ Mitroglou).

Referee: Paul Allaerts (Belgium)

Venue: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, France.

With several absentees forcing manager Ernesto Valverde to shuffle his line-up it seems unthinkable that the visitors will extend their European campaign. Even though pundits will agree the Greeks are heavy underdogs, Olympiacos does have the ability to overcome their French hosts.

Insurmountable setbacks?

With a comfortable lead atop the Greek Super League standings, an early exit from the UEFA Cup is not something Olympiacos is likely to settle for. While their domestic duties have made way for an eleven-point lead over rivals Panathinaikos and PAOK, the reality of being bounced from the final edition of the UEFA Cup is of disappointing circumstances.

A slim 1-0 loss to Ergotelis over the weekend continued the ‘Erythrolefki’s’s slide in recent weeks, as the Piraeus giants picked up their third loss of month- a cup defeat to PAOK commenced the club’s February schedule.

The apparent problem for Olympiacos has been its exposure in defense. Last week, Saint-Etienne punished the Greeks after a handful of mistakes allowed Ilan, Geoffrey Dernis, and Bafetimbi Gomis to inflate the score line in the first leg.

In addition to the club’s sloppy defensive displays in recent matches, inefficient responses in offense have also led to Olympiacos’ downfall. Certainly capable of scoring goals, Diogo has been unable to find the back of the net since tallying in his side’s 2-1 win over OFI Crete FC back in January.

Only adding to Valverde’s woes is a long list of absentees plague the Spanish boss ahead of kick-off in France. Argentine midfielder Luciano Galletti, who hasn’t played since the first leg with ‘Les Verts’, is out of the line-up and remains doubtful for Olympiacos titanic clash with arch-rivals Panathinaikos on Sunday. Compatriot Fernando Belluschi will also miss out, after scans revealed a muscle strain will sideline the former River Plate attacking midfielder for three weeks.

Defenders will also need to scramble to fill voids left by Didier Domi and Avraam Papadopoulos. Domi also faces a similar absence to that of Belluschi’s, while the flu is keeping Papadopoulos from suiting up against Saint-Etienne.

Fortunately, there is some good news for Olympiacos. On-loan Liverpool midfielder, Sebastian Leto, returns to the line-up having missed the introductory leg in Greece and his side’s trip to Crete over the weekend.

Renaissance in Saint-Etienne

While there 3-1 defeat of Olympiacos certainly made headlines in France, the Ligue 1 minnows are slowly turning things around on the domestic front as well. Still locked in a relegation battle, Saint-Etienne continued their impressive performances by holding French title-chasers Bordeaux to a 1-1 draw.

Comfortable leaders of the tie heading into the second leg, Saint-Etienne’s main objective will likely revolve around defense. Their 3-1 win in Piraeus forces Olympiacos to search for three goals in France, which leaves plenty of breathing room for Alain Perrin’s men.

Added to the fact Saint-Etienne has gone undefeated at the Geoffroy-Guichard in eight European home games, stretching back to the quarter-finals of the 1980/1981 edition of the UEFA Cup.

‘Keeper Jeremie Janot came under heavy fire in Greece last week, and with Olympiacos in a desperate state to score goals, the French shot stopper could be forced into action on my occasions.

Playing in front of the net minder will be Greek defender Stathis Tavlaridis, and the experienced central defender will be looked upon to keep close tabs on Olympiacos striker Diogo. Managing to contain the Brazilian last week, if Tavlaridis is able to reproduce his performance, Saint-Etienne should be celebrating a berth in the round of sixteen by the final whistle.

Reincarnation

As Olympiacos’ European ambitions faintly linger, the ‘Eryhtrolefki’ are urged to recreate a similar performance to their blowout victories against Benfica and Hertha Berlin from the group stages. A meeting in France only complicates the immediate future for the Greek titleholders. A much anticipated match with arch-rivals Panathinaikos on the weekend commences a string of domestic derbies that end with a double date with Thessaloniki’s PAOK FC. Joy for Saint-Etienne would mark a gloomy end for Olympiacos’ seemingly decided domestic campaign. On the flip side, progression for the French could spell a revival for Saint-Etienne’s Ligue 1 campaign.

AS Saint-Etienne (Alain Perrin): Viviani, Varrauly, Tavlaridis, Payet, Ilan, Gigliotti, Mirallas, Dernis, Matuidi, Janot, Hautcouer, Gomis, Dabo, Matsui, Sauget, Machado, Bayal, Benalouane.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Kovac, Pantos, Torosidis, Patsatzoglou, Djordjevic, Antzas, Zewlakow, Mitroglou, Dudu, Leto, Derbyshire, Oscar, Leonardo, Mendrinos, Diogo, Galitsios.

Tough Task
If you are an Olympiacos supporter, I don’t have to tell you that being down 3-1 on aggregate and needing a 3 goal win away is a more difficult task than a chinese kid trying to win a staring contest. As if needing 3 goals away was not enough, we have an insane schedule coming up that includes the most important match of the year, Panathinaikos at home, and two games with PAOK. Deep hole on aggregate and congested schedule aside, we will be without three regular starters in this match. Belluschi, Galletti, and Avraam will not play and this creates a lot of problems for Ernesto “viva la vida” Valverde. Galletti is the heart and soul of our team, Belluschi’s flair at CAM is integral to attack, and Avraam has been a rock at CB.

Starting XI
Nikopolidis, Kovac, Pantos, Torosidis, Patsatzoglou, Djordjevic, Antzas, Zewlakow, Mitroglou, Dudu, Leto, Derbyshire, Oscar, Leonardo, Mendrinos, Diogo, and Galitsios are the players available for Valverde’s use tomorrow.

If he sticks to his normal 4-5-1 with two DMs I would expect to see the following starting XI:

…………………………………………….Nikopolidis

Gallitsios………………………….Zewlakow……Antzas…………………………………Pantos

……………………………………Patsatzoglou….Dudu

Torosidis…………………………………….Oscar………………………………………….Leto

………………………………………………..Diogo

I would like to see Valverde go for the win (for once) and play a 4-4-2 from the start like so:

…………………………………………….Nikopolidis

Torosidis………………………..Zewlakow……Antzas………………………….Leonardo

………………………………………………..Dudu

Patsatzoglou………………………………..Oscar………………………………………….Leto

…………………………………….Derbyshire…..Diogo

Prediction
Even though I would love to see Valverde come out with a 4-4-2 and for us to score 3 goals and win it I just cant see it happening with all of the injuries. We will come out with two DMs and not be able to get anything going offensively. Final score will be 1-1 and our run at the UEFA Cup will be over… or I could be wrong and we could win 3-0 and go happy into March awaiting a date with AC Milan. Damn, I hope I’m wrong.

In Italy they are going to experiment with the use of an ORANGE card. Article from Italy (in english) here

”It would be good for those situations where a red card is too much and a yellow not enough,” said an ironically ORANGE looking Collina. If you get an ORANGE card you have to sit out of the game for a few minutes (maybe they will have a hockey-style penalty box?)

FIFA is allowing it and next year will consider using it world wide.

Also something in the article about having a fifth official or “second set of eyes” maybe this would be an NFL-style replay official for big, match-changing penalty, handball, and offside decisions?

Uhhhhhh right! I like the idea of a 5th official or eye in the sky, but the orange card is a malakia!

Bagging his fifteenth goal in Europe against the Ligue 1 outfit, Djordjevic surpassed Nikos Anastopoulos’ mark of fourteen goals to become Olympiacos’ leading scorer after eighty-nine appearances in Europe for the ‘Erythrolefki’. Anastasopoulos set his mark after twenty-nine matches for Olympiacos in Europe.

While the Serb currently holds the club record for European tallies, his record could become under fire sooner rather than later as Diogo and Luciano Galletti already have five goals for the Piraeus giants.

Olympiacos’ Top 10 Scorers in Europe:
Player/# of Goals

1. Predrag Djordjevic* 15
2. Nikos Anastopoulos 14
3. Stelios Giannakopoulos* 9
4. Giorgos Sideris 8
- Alexis Alexandris 8
- Giovanni Silva De Oliveira* 8
7. Sinisa Gogic 7
8. Mike Galakos 6
- Bent Kristensen 6
- Ilija Ivic 6

* Still active.