In what is somewhat of a tradition in Piraeus nowadays, Olympiacos looked back on another golden season domestically as the club was presented with the coveted Super League trophy – their twelfth in the last thirteen years.

But while most titles are dedicated to the people in the stands, it was apparent that this championship meant a lot for the club’s familiar heroes. The likes of Predrag Djordjevic, Darko Kovacevic, Paraskevas Antas, and Christos Patsatzoglou were all given a luxurious send-off as the club applauded the quartet for their services.

Djordjevic, like his team-mates, played his final match for the ‘Eythrolefki’ against AEK Athens in the Greek Cup Final – capping a successful stint in the port city where he captained the club to all twelve of their titles in the last thirteen seasons. He hoisted the club’s recent symbol of domestic dominance – the sleek Super League trophy – to compliment a similar title he hoisted last weekend at the OAKA Spyros Louis Stadium.

Kovacevic, a compatriot of Djordjevic, was forced to end his career after doctors discovered his life was in jeopardy due to a genetic condition of high blood pressure. Completing a mandatory surgery – a coronary angioplasty – just outside the Spanish metropolis of Barcelona, Kovacevic returned to Greece where he was soon greeted by loal Olympiacos fans at the club’s Red Store just outside the stadium. Nonetheless, Saturday night’s send-pff was an appropriate display of appreciation for the Serbian striker.

Another to retire is Antzas, but unlike Kovacevic, the Greek center-back has called time on his career after collecting a new lease on life in the aftermath of his father’s death. The moe was rather foreseeable after Antzas step down from international duty for the Greek National Team after his nation’s EURO 2008 campaign.

Patsatzoglou, or ‘Patsa’ as his jersey reads. Is not ready to end his career; instead, opting to test the Cypriot market with a transfer to AC Omonia Nicosia. It will be a reunion of sorts for the Greece international, as Omonia’s bench boss is none other than former Olympiacos player and manager Takis Lemonis.

A manager, however, still remains in question back in Piraeus. Ernesto Valverde and the club failed to agree upon an extension that would keep the Spaniard on as Olympiacos coach until at least the conclusion of next season – an apparent interest in a return to Spain’s La Liga being the distinguished variable repelling Valverde.

But again the island of Cyprus appears to be the answer to Olympiacos’ needs as rumors continue to link now-resigned Anorthosis Famagusta boss Temuri Ketsbaia with the Olympiacos post. It was a breakthrough that perplexed the Piraeus fan base ahead of the fiesta, and worried the Olympiacos board ahead of the fiesta.

But their response was minimal in comparison to vocal and visual outbursts seen in recent years. The most notable fan response during the fiesta came during the club’s celebration a few days after Brazilian legend ‘abandoned the club’ as he cited financial issues made it impossible for him to stay.

Back to the future, and Olympiacos has an interesting trip to Asia slated for later this week. Scheduled to leave Athens on Monday, Olympiacos is due in Vietnam for an international friendly with the Vietnamese National Team on Thursday in historic Hanoi.

A successful season with Asteras Tripolis appeared to be a decisive factor for the Greek Champions to sign Zairi, but the immense depth already instilled in the ‘Erythrolefki’ squad makes for great competition for the Moroccan ahead of next season.

Nonetheless, Zairi remains excited about the move to Piraeus, revealing he was ‘living a dream’. “Olympiacos is my biggest club since the beginning of my career,” said Zairi.

Before arriving at Asteras Tripolis during the 2008 winter transfer window, Zairi had spent most of his career in France; first with youth outfit – and eventually the professional side – at FC Gueugnon, FC Sochaux, before leaving France for Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad.

Zairi secured a move back to Europe after just one year in Saudia Arabia as Portuguese side Boavista gave Zairi a passage back to the European scene. One year later, Zairi found himself back in France, this time with Sochaux.

Now, after a brief stint in Arcadia, the hot lights of the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium are a new challenge for one of Morocco’s best kept secrets.

“I’m living a dream I’ve been waiting for a long time. The ambition of every footballer is to one day play in a big team. Olympiacos gives me this opportunity,” concluded Zairi.

Champions League exposure, and a successful season in Greece, could give Zairi another shot with the Moroccan National Team.

All eyes will be on Athens on Saturday, when Olympiacos and AEK Athens meet at the OAKA Spyros Louis Stadium in the Final of the Greek Cup…

With another league title headed to Piraeus and into Olympiacos’ trophy cabinet, AEK will look to the Greek Cup in order to ruin their rivals’ bid for a domestic double. Meanwhile, the Greek Champions are adamant to exercise their dominance in Greece by securing their second consecutive domestic double.

Salvaging a Season

It was simply an unsettling season for AEK: an early exit from Europe, a lingering search for a president, and a coaching change appeared to distract the club from implicitly competing in the Super League. Nonetheless, with the year-long disappointment aside, Saturday night’s scintillating final is a prime opportunity for AEK to salvage their season.

Dusan Bajevic, bench boss at AEK Athens, voiced his side’s motives during a midweek press conference. The Serbian manager made it clear his side will be driven by a “motive”, but also mentioned the task will be difficult.

“We have a strong motive,” said the AEK coach. “There are no favourites in matches like these. We know each other very well and it’s hard to predict how the match will unfold.”

The 60-year-old tactician knows what it takes to triumph on these occasions; his resume boasting four Greek Cup titles as a manager. Having finished on the winner’s podium twice while stinting on the Olympiacos sidelines, Bajevic will be banking on his players to end a twelve-year title drought for the ‘Kitrinomavri’.

Domestic Double

Aside from presidential issues and a coaching change, Olympiacos endured a similarly painful season thanks to a poor European run. Their twelfth Super League title in thirteen years soothed any growing pains, but another Greek Cup success on Saturday would put any remaining disappointments at ease.

Currently, the future of manager Ernesto Valverde and summer transfers appear to be the main talking point for the Piraeus giants; however, a win on Saturday would boost Valverde’s future negotiations with club president Sokratis Kokkalis.

The Spaniard will aim to bag his second piece of Greek silverware in just his first season as manager at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium, but realizes his side will be in for a tough night against AEK.

“Both teams will be very cautious at first and our priority will be to avoid mistakes,” said Valverde. His words are likely to ring true after two slim victories over AEK this season are not enough to guarantee a third on Saturday.

FORM GUIDE

AEK Athens

Mar 22.     AEK Athens 3-1 Levadeiakos       (Greek Super League)
Apr 5.      Panthrakikos 1-1 AEK Athens       (Greek Super League)
Apr 8.      Panserraikos 0-0 AEK Athens       (Greek Cup)
Apr 12.      AEK Athens 0-1 Aris        (Greek Super League)
Apr 26.      Ergotelis 1-1 AEK Athens       (Greek Super League)

Olympiacos CFP

Mar 22.     Panionios 2-3 Olympiacos       (Greek Super League)
Apr 5.      Levadeiakos 1-2 Olympiacos       (Greek Super League)
Apr 9.      Olympiacos 2-1 Asteras Tripolis       (Greek Cup)
Apr 12.      Olympiacos 0-1 Larissa        (Greek Super League)
Apr 26.      Thrasyvoulos 0-2 Olympiacos       (Greek Super League)

TEAM NEWS

AEK Athens

While the fitness of center-back Sotiris Kyrgiakos has been a pressing matter for AEK throughout the season, the Greece international will assume his role in the center of defense on Saturday. On the flanks, however, Bajevic will have to improvise as Juanfran will miss the match through injury.

Probable Starting XI: Sebastian Saja – Geraldo Alves, Daniel Majstorovic, Sotiris Kyrgiakos, Nikos Georgeas – Tamandi Nsaliwa, Agustin Pelletieri, Pantelis Kafes – Ignacio Scocco, Edinho, Ismael Blanco.

Olympiacos CFP

Injury concerns stem a little deeper within the Olympiacos ranks, but the injured duo of Fernando Belluschi and Avraam Papadopoulos are expected to make full recoveries ahead of Saturday’s decisive encounter.

Probable Starting XI: Antonis Nikopolidis – Vasilis Torosidis, Paraskevas Antzas, Avraam Papadopulos, Didier Domi – Dudu, Giannis Papadopoulos – Luciano Galletti, Sebastian Leto, Fernando Belluschi – Diogo.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AEK Athens

AEK’s offense may not be the most clinical unit in the Super League, but front man Ismael Blanco has evolved to be one of the most efficient scorers in the Super League. His efficiency will be called forth on Saturday night as AEK look to solve the best defense in the Greek top flight.

Olympiacos CFP

Luciano Galletti has been the defining edge at Olympiacos all season long, and the crafty Argentine will be looked upon to steer Olympiacos to another Greek Cup title. After finishing tied alongside Ismael Blanco for the Super League’s scoring title, Galletti will be keen to settle the scoring battle with his compatriot.

PREDICTION

These two sides have met in the Cup Final many times before; always producing memorable results for spectators. The last of these meeting came in 2006 when Olympiacos ran out 3-0 winners in Crete. This year the encounter is expected to be highly contested as both sides are keen on capturing the Greek Cup crown. AEK pose a stiff challenge for Olympiacos, but the latter appear to have enough depth to overcome their inner-city rivals.

Olympiacos CFP 2-1 AEK Athens

Surprisingly, Nikopolidis performed magnificently for Olympiacos this season, and with the confidence acquired through his strong play, Nikopolidis has signed a one-year extension with the Greek Champions.

While the club added Urko Pardo on a loan deal from Rapid Bucharest earlier this week, Nikopolidis’ one-year extension was made official by the club with an announcement on the club’s official website.

“Olympiacos CFP announces the contract renewal for one more year with goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis.”

The former Greece international will likely resume his service as the club’s number on goalkeeper next season, unless of course club president Sokratis Kokkalis adds a further piece to Piraeus’ goalkeeping puzzle.

An announcement on the club’s official website made the move official, as Pardo was made the second signing made by the club this season – only after a mutual agreement between the club and Asteras Tripolis’ Jaoud Zairi had been reported.

“Olympiacos CFP announces the completion of an agreement with Rapid Bucharest over the transfer of player Urko Rafael Pardo in the form of a loan, with the option to buy,” read the announcement.

Rumors regarding Pardo originated last summer, as the future of Antonis Nikopolidis and the release of Michalis Sifakis occupied the club. Nonetheless, the problem in goal was solved when Nikopolidis penned an extension ahead of last season, and Pavel Kovac was signed by the Greek Champions.

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.

Patrick Dimbala got Levadeiakos off to a promising start in Levadeia, but a quick response from Matt Derbyshire set Olympiacos up for an inevitable comeback as Ernesto Valverde’s added another three points to their tally.

First Half

With Olympiacos seeing their early title triumph as a chance to hand the traditional “reserves” a chance to shine, it was Levadeiakos surging offensively as Brazilian playmaker Leonardo became the orchestrator of the Levadeiakos attack.

Although Leonardo was a crucial part of Levadeiakos offensive endeavours, his compatriot and namesake, Olympiacos’ Leonardo was charged with giving away a goal just past the quarter-hour mark.

The former Portuguesa defender committed a tragic mistake near the Olympiacos box, allowing Stefano Napoleoni to break towards the Olympiacos goal before firing a shot towards Pavel Kovac. Leonardo then aimed to make-up for his mistake by blocking Napoleoni’s from the goal-line, but an alert Patrick Dimbala was present to give Levadeiakos a surprising lead.

It took only eleven minutes for Olympiacos to respond through their improving English ace Matt Derbyshire. Oscar Gonzalez provided a cross into the box, which provided plenty of confusion for Levadeiakos’ back-line. Derbyshire was in attendance to poke the ball past Srdjan Blazic and level the score ahead of the half-hour mark.

Three minutes later Olympiacos continued to strive for yet another goal, but Serbastian Leto was unable to hit the target after Predrag Djordjevic, who announced his retirement earlier in the week, provided the Argentine with a slick through pass.

Second Half

With half-time scores across Greece leaving Levadeiakos in a worried state about their future in the Greek top flight, a 1-1 scoreboard didn’t hold promise for a side looking to stave off relegation battlers OFI Crete and Panserraikos.

With little urgency to either offense, both Levadeiakos and Olympiacos played out an opening fifteen minutes to the second frame. After both sides managed to unclog a congested midfield, it was Levadeiakos who looked to regain their lead through yet another fluky defensive performance.

Dimbala attempted to find a team-mate in front of goal with a chip into the heart of the Olympiacos box, but a deflection off Olympiacos’ Kyriakos Papadopoulos nearly found Kostas Kiassos. The Greek midfielder nearly pulled off a clinical touch but his timing lacked and a bouncing ball made its way past Kovac and scraped the post before Olympiacos’ Slovakian shot-stopper recovered.

Olympiacos’ rather quiet start to the second half was forgotten when Luciano Galletti marked his entrance with style. Introduced to replace Predrag Djordevic, Galletti proved again his value within the Olympiacos ranks as he thumped free-kick to give Olympiacos a lead with less than fifteen minutes left in the match.

Levadeiakos looked to respond soon after as Fernando Machado breached the Olympiacos defense but fired wide; nonetheless, an offside call on the Uruguayan undermined Levadeiakos’ last chance to bag an equalizer.

Levadeiakos FC 1-2 Olympiacos CFP
Dimbala – Derbyshire, Galletti

Yellow Cards:
Levadeiakos FC – Machado.
Olympiacos CFP – Galitsios.

Levadeiakos FC (Momcilo Vukotic): Blazic, Moulopoulos (85′ Lehtinen), Machado, Kapsis, Koltzos, Leonardo, Andralas (53′ Katsikogiannis), Kiassos (65′ Piechniak), Zisopoulos, Napoleoni, Dimbala.

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Kovac, Leonardo, Galitsios, Oscar, Djordjevic (72′ Galletti), Antzas, Mendrinos, Leto (61′ Soleidis), Derbyshire (69′ Diogo), G. Papadopoulos, K. Papadopoulos.

Referee: Kostas Papastamatis (Athens)

Venue: Levadeia Stadium, Levadeia, Greece.

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.

Now, those who know little or next to nothing about the Greek game will probably say something along the lines of a derogatory remark towards this triumph; however, they should first take a look at all the facts…

Dynasty, or not?
Olympiacos is currently the holder of quite the impressive streak when it comes to Greek Championships as the ‘Erythrolefki’ claimed their twelfth title in thirteen seasons. I’m not majoring in mathematics at York University, but I do know how to do some long division. Gone are the days where I have to show my work, so take the below equation for example where D stands for Dynasty, C equals Championships, and S represents Seasons. However, for the equation to hold truth in its subject, the multiplied average must equate to let’s say, 75 or higher; that sounds fair.

D= C/S x 100
D=12/13 x 100
D=92.3076923 %

Therefore, Olympiacos is truly a dynasty having claimed approximately 92.3 % of the available Greek Championships in the past thirteen years.

Kings of Greece?
Greece hasn’t had a Royal family rule the country since King Otto (not Rehhagel, the other one), but Olympiacos has definitely emerged as the Kings of Greek football. If their twelve titles in thirteen years weren’t enough, a further look back in the history of the Greek top flight features the Piraeus side collecting thirty-seven of a possible seventy-three titles. Now you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that Olympiacos is clearly the heavyweight in terms of triumphs. So, let’s consider the following equation which features the title wins of all teams in Greece against the lone count from Olympiacos. WARNING: Some of you will likely be astonished!

K is true if O>G

O stands for the number of titles won by Olympiacos.
G represents the number of titles won by all the other clubs in Greece.

O=37

G=Panathinaikos+AEK+Aris+PAOK+Larissa
G=19+11+3+2+1
G=36

Therefore, 0 > G and Olympiacos is in fact Kings of Greek Football through the 2008-2009 season.

Olympiacos thrashed Iraklis 5-0 last week, but on Wednesday they could only muster a 2-2 draw against a determined Asteras Tripolis in the Greek Cup. In hopes of replicating the same energy from a week ago, Ernesto Valverde’s men started the game on the attack as Oscar Gonzalez released the match’s first on-target shot on seven minutes. Creating room near the edge of the Panionios box, the Spaniard then fired a shot toward ‘keeper Tomas Belic but the Croatian was up to the task.

It was Panionios who then attempted to draw first blood through Uruguayan sensation Fabian Estoyanoff. The former Penarol midfielder made a sharp run into the box before eluding Didier Domi to warrant a shot from the surging Uruguayan; however, his effort slammed into the side netting.

Not too long after that, Olympiacos resumed its search for a goal as the visitors surged back into the offensive zone. Dudu initiated the play with a hard, grounded effort from the edge of the box, but it was quick thinking from Matt Derbyshire that made the chance count as the Englishman slotted his third Super League goal for the club.

Looking to extend the lead, Dudu released yet another effort but this time there was no rebound from Belic. Meanwhile, at the other end, Alvaro Recoba did little to test Antonis Nikopolidis as the former Inter Milan man fired his try softly into the arms of the Greek goalkeeper.

While Konstantinos Mitroglou looked to be a little off with his timing, teammate Derbyshire looked spot-on with his as the on-loan Blackburn Rovers striker narrowly secured a brace with his headed effort on forty-two minutes.

At the end, however, Christos Maniatis’ cross was accurately met by Lourenco da Silva as Panionios equalized bitterly before the interval. The Angolan rose above all to direct his header just inside the post and past a flat-footed Nikopolidis.

With the lead now gone, Olympiacos was forced to restart their hunt for the win but without Nikopolidis who was unable to continue the match. The former Greece international was replaced by backup Pavel Kovac, and it didn’t take long for Panionios to grab a lead of their own.

In fact, it took just over five minutes after the restart for the hosts to go ahead as Recoba’s driven effort was fumbled by Kovac and a potent Anderson Gonzaga pounced on the rebound to give the ‘Kyanerythri’ a surprise lead after fifty-one minutes.

It took ten minutes for Olympiacos respond, but not without a little help from one of Panionios’ own. Maniatis almost completely cancelled out his aforementioned contribution – a pinpoint cross to Lourenco – as the Greek defender turned in an own goal to level the score. An intended cross from Predrag Djordjevic ended up in Belic’s net after Maniatis’ attempted block backfired and ricocheted into the Panionios goal.

Continuing the trend, a further goal arrived for Olympiacos ten minutes later, but this time the play wasn’t dependent of a Panionios’ gaffe. Instead, it was a moment of South American creativity as Luciano Galletti’s free-kick cross was met by Dudu who stormed towards Belic’s frame before firing past the Croatian shot-stopper and scoring the go-ahead goal for the ‘Erythrolefki’.

There was little response from the now in-dismay hosts, and in fact it was Olympiacos who still pushed forward in search for a bit of insurance, but Derbyshire again was denied after an acrobatic save from Belic.

With no resistance coming from the Nea Smyrni outfit, the final whistle saw the Olympiacos bench erupt in celebration in the wake of their title-clinching triumph. Extending their lead to eleven points with three rounds of play left in the Super League, Olympiacos is well clear of rivals of Panathinaikos, whose title bid has now ended with mathematical impossibilities.

Panionios FC 2-3 Olympiacos CFP
Lourenco 45′, Anderson 51′ – Derbyshire 22′, Maniatis (o.g.) 61′, Dudu 72′

Yellow Cards:
Panionios FC – Lourenco 35′, Majstorovic 71′, Tzavellas 77′, Makos 89′.
Olympiacos CFP – Derbyshire 14′, Djordjevic 44′.

Panionios FC (Panagiotis Stamatopoulos): Belic, Maniatis, Latka, Recoba, Anderson, Makos, Estoyanoff, Kontoes (83′ Barkoglou), Nikolaou (56′ Majstorovic), Tzavellas, Lourenco (66′ Skoufalis).

Olympiacos CFP (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis (46′ Kovac), Patsatzoglou (58′ Belluschi), Domi, Oscar (36′ Galletti), Djordjevic, Zewlakow, Dudu, A. Papadopoulos, Derbyshire, Mitroglou, Torosidis

Referee: Michalis Koukoulakis (Heraklion)

Attendance: 2 905

Venue: Panionios Stadium, Nea Smyrni, Greece