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.

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.

Olympiacos’ mainstay in the UEFA Champions League is officially over after beating Anorthosis Famagusta 1-0, but ultimately falling 3-1 on aggregate to the Cypriot Champions. A stunning goal from Fernando Belluschi gave Olympiacos the win tonight at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, but the strike alone was not enough to erase the 3-0 defeat from a fortnight ago.

In what was supposed to a night of redemption for the hosts, began rather nerve-racking for the side down by three after one leg. Desperate for a swing in momentum, Olympiacos found it difficult to break through the Anorthosis backline. With the visitors controlling the tempo in the opening minutes, Olympiacos saw the pressure grow as a ruckus crowd began to rally their beloved club. Responding to the atmosphere, Olympiacos began to create chances but the efforts seemed to be missing the convincing flare.

Opting to attack down the flanks, Luciano Galletti and Sebastian Leto became conductors of the Olympiacos insurgence. Weaving their way through the maze of Anorthosis defenders, the two Argentines managed to send several balls across the Anorthosis box; sadly a red-and-white shirt wasn’t around to slot the ball home.

Darko Kovačević finally made his first impression when he turned the defender, but his ensuing shot sailed high over the bar. Anorthosis nearly ended any aspirations of an Olympiacos comeback when a header from Lukasz Sosin narrowly missed Antonis Nikopolidis’ goal.

Looking more promising after the restart, Olympiacos increased the tempo by testing Anorthosis keeper, Arian Beqaj, on several occasions. Ernesto Valverde introduced Kostas Mitroglou ahead of the second half, as Dudu made way for the Greek striker. After forcing a series of corners, Olympiacos dictated the ball in the center of the Anorthosis’ third, and a bouncing ball fell for Fernando Belluschi, who struck the ball with composure to give Olympiacos its first tally. It was nearly 2-0 for the hosts when Mitroglou was left free in the box; but he was unable to beat Beqaj.  Hoping for more of the same, Olympiacos continued to attack, mounting pressure on the Anorthosis defense – which at this point had grown to ten defenders plus Beqaj.

Galletti, the culprit on many occasions this evening, fired a shot from the perimeter of the Anorthosis box; but the strong shot was sent out for only a corner. Belluschi looked keen to extend the lead and double his tally when he drove a shot from distance straight for the right corner of the goal; it proved to be a flashback of previous Olympiacos attacks, as Beqaj leaped to deflect the shot out for another corner. Olympiacos came even closer off a free-kick from substitute Predrag Djordjević, and the shot fooled everyone as it curled just wide of the right post.

As the time continued to tick away on the large scoreboard, it became clear that Olympiacos were facing an early exit from the Champions League. Not settling for defeat, Ieroklis Stoltidis managed to release a shot from the left side, but once again Beqaj held his ground to force a corner.

That effort proved to be the final decent effort Olympiacos mustered, as Herbert Fandel’s final whistle only added to the ‘Eruthroleuki’ misery.

For the first time in eleven years, Olympiacos will not be competing in the Champions League group stage; instead Anorthosis will feature in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, as the Cypriot club is the first of its kind to reach the round of 32. Olympiacos, meanwhile, will await the result of Friday’s UEFA Cup draw.

Olympiacos 1-0 Anorthosis (1-3 on aggregate)
Belluschi 54′

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos – Dudu 23′, Galletti 37′, Leto 45′, Leonardo 84′
Anorthosis – Bardon 17′, Dobrašinović 56′

Olympiacos (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Torosidis, Antzas (69′ Patsatzoglou), A. Papadopoulos, Leonardo, Galletti, Stoltidis, Dudu (46′ Mitroglou), Leto (63′ Djordjević), Belluschi, Kovačević.

Anorthosis Famgusta (Timur Ketsbaia): Beqaj, Constantinou, Dellas, Katsavakis, Liewakabessy, Ockokoljic, Costa, Dobrašinović, Bardon (58′ Sávio), Laban, Sosin (82′ Samaras).

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Olympiacos faces an early exit from the UEFA Champions League tonight (21:45 GR, NET), with only ninety minutes left for the Greek Champions to turn a 3-0 deficit against Anorthosis Famagusta into a memorable result. The Piraeus club looked helpless in the first leg; but a superior effort tonight in Greece, could see ‘O Thrylos’ wake from the nightmares from Larnaca.

Pressure lies heavily on the home side ahead of the deciding leg. Promising a better showing, Ernesto Valverde has promised his club hasn’t given up their ambitions to play an eleventh consecutive season in the Champions League. “In football you always feel under pressure to win,” said the Olympiacos manager. “It comes from within. I feel we can advance if we handle the stress. We must start the match believing we can do it and we have to channel this belief in our game.”

Media in Greece has alluded to a more aggressive formation for the Greek Champions who must beat their Cypriot opponents by at least four goals to progress to the group stage.

Antonis Nikopolidis has fully recovered from a hand injury he suffered in the first-leg loss to Anorthosis, and the former-Greece international will return to guard the Olympiacos goal. In defense, Paraskevas Antzas and Avraam Papadopoulos are expected to partner-up in the centre of defense; while Vassilis Torosidis and Leonardo, will run the right and left sides respectively.

Dudu Cearense is set for his European debut with his new club. The Brazilian is expected to play alongside Ieroklis Stoltidis in a central midfield role. Pressure has been put on Valverde to include summer acquisition Sebastian Leto in the Olympiacos starting eleven, and it appears the Spaniard will do just that. After several impressive performances in recent pre-season performances, the Argentine will face his biggest task in the red-and-white since his early-August arrival. His countryman, Luciano Galletti – a fan favourite amongst the Olympiacos faithful – will man the opposite flank.

In the need to score goals, Fernando Belluschi is expected to play an attacking role behind striker Darko Kovacevic. Both players managed to hit the score sheet in last week’s friendly against Al-Hilal, and the pair will have to repeat that feat again tonight.

It seems club captain, Predrag Djordjevic, will begin the match on the sidelines but that hasn’t stopped the Serbian from realizing the task at hand. “With the help of our fans, we can get the result that will take us into the group stage,” said Djordjevic. “We must be patient and hopefully we’ll be luckier than two weeks ago in Cyprus.”

For Anorthosis, defense will be the main focus; however, the Cypriot side has the opportunity to pre-maturely end the tie if they manage to score an away goal. Temur Kestbaia opted to rest several of his starters for the club’s Super Cup tilt with rivals APOEL. Losing the game 1-0, it is clear the club has its sights set on qualifying for the group stage for the first time in the club’s ninety-seven year history. “We may have won the first game 3-0 but we have a really tough second leg ahead,” said Ketsbaia. “Obviously our lead is healthy, but we need to work even harder if we want to get to the group stage. I want those who take the field against Olympiacos to use all their strength to achieve our ultimate dream. We’re close but the game that stands in our way is very tough.”

With Cypriot pride fuelling Anorthosis’ qualifying campaign, the return leg in Piraeus is billed as “the most important match in Cypriot football history.” On top of their comfortable lead, the visitors are joyous in the wake of reports Sávio is eligible to take part in the second leg. Making his debut in the loss to APOEL, the former Real Madrid player will make his European debut with the club. Not as fortunate is Ioannis Skopelitis; having played against Olympiacos on several occasions during his spell with Egaleo FC, the former Portsmouth midfielder is forced out of the return leg with an injury suffered a fort night ago.

The atmosphere in the stadium will be a ruckus environment, as a capacity crowd is expected to take in a match that could be Olympiacos’ last Champions League appearance of the season. Added to the fact the match has taken a patriotic twist, tonight’s encounter has transformed into a Mediterranean rivalry.

More proof of the hostility between the two clubs comes in the midst of reports claiming Olympiacos supporters delayed Anorthosis’ arrival in Greece. Olympiacos supporters followed the team’s bus, and according to witnesses “harrassed” the team bus.

More violence followed, as Olympiacos supporters reportedly attacked travelling Anorthosis fans outside the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The severity of the incident is in question, as Anorthosis officials seem to be exaggerating the number of Olympiacos supporters on hand at the stadium — the Cypriot club is claiming there were around 1 200 OSFP supporters, while Olympiacos says only 200 were present.

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Assistants: Mike Pickel (Germany), Christian Dingert (Germany)

Fourth official: Helmut Fleischer (Germany)

An announcement on the club’s official site (www.olympiacos.org), announced the acquisition. “Olympiacos C.F.P. would like to announce the signing of Brazilian forward Diogo Louis Santo, who penned a five year contract.”

The transfer of Diogo from Brazil to Greece has certainly made the club’s wallet much lighter, with the transfer fee reported to be around € 9 million.

After arriving in Greece on Tuesday, the Brazilian prospect took in Olympiacos’ friendly against Al-Hilal from a VIP box at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium. Speaking with the Greek Media, Diogo looked excited and somewhat relieved to be in Greece and finally a member of Olympiacos.

“I am a player of Olympiacos, and now a … fan. I wanted to join the club all along, but there were some issues that needed to be taken care of. I am now extremely happy. I know what I have to do. Olympiacos is a winner and so am I. I will do my best for the club. I need to score in every single game but I know that against Panathinaikos it will be sweeter…” said an excited Diogo.

The player made his way to Karaiskaki later that night, and ahead of the match he was presented to the fans when his face was splashed across the ground’s big screen. Receiving a standing ovation from the Olympiacos faithful on hand for the pre-game ceremonies, Diogo seemed overwhelmed by the atmosphere. However, the Brazilian seemed to snap out of his moment of astonishment when he was reunited by Leonardo — a teammate of Diogo’s at Portuguesa. Rumored to have a hand in Diogo decision to sign with Olympiacos, the pair are just a sample of the wave of South American players taking over Piraeus.

Not only was Diogo renewing friendships; he was making new ones as well. Finding his way back into the spotlight, Diogo was pictured with Olympiacos club President Sokratis Kokkalis. The two were spotted sharing a laugh in one of the many VIP boxes at Karaiskaki.

Despite Diogo signing ahead of the crucial return leg of the club’s 3rd Qualifying Round tie with Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta, the Brazilian starlet will not be able to debut for the club in the match that will decide the club’s European fate — either a return to the UEFA Champions League group stage, or a spot in the 2nd Round of the UEFA Cup. Rather, the Olympiacos faithful will have to most likely wait for the pursuing weekend fixture against Asteras Tripolis — Olympiacos’ opening fixture of this season’s Greek Super League.

Anorthosis qualified for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League after eliminating Armenia’s Pyunik Yerevan in the first round, and narrowly escaping against Austrian club Rapid Wien in the second round. Olympiacos, meanwhile, start their Champions League quest in this round.

The Cypriot squad bolsters many familiar faces for Greek football fans, including many who began their careers in Greece; Giannis Skopelitis and Stefanos Voskaridis. Alongside Skopelitis and Voskaridis, Anorthosis has made several talented signings this summer, including recent additions Traianos Dellas and Sávio. Dellas, a Greek international, joins the Cypriot Champions from Greek Super League club AEK Athens. The tall center back has plenty of experience playing against Olympiacos, and will be one of many tough obstacles to overcome.

For Olympiacos, Ernesto Valverde faces his first competitive game at the reigns of the Piraeus club and the pressure to succeed is high. A string of inconistent performances during the club’s off season could leave the club’s supporters worried about this game, but Olympiacos are expected to pass this Cypriot test. Lineups have not yet been confirmed, but expect a list of the ‘Eruthroleuki’ starters by early tomorrow morning.

On the Anorthosis front — added to the fact no Cypriot club has ever made it to the group stgae of the Champions League — the game against Olympiacos has been dubbed a high stakes revenge match. The hype ahead of the game in Cyprus is calling the game ‘a chance to get out of Greece’s shadow’; however, in Greece, this is not the case. A rivalry between the clubs, at least from the Olympiacos standpoint, is solely because of the historic tie from ten years ago — Olympiacos knocked out Anorthosis to reach the group stage of the 1998/1999 season. It seems that the game will not be a billed as a club encounter, rather a match featuring the pride of two nations.

The game started like it did on many occasions last year, Luciano Galletti bursting down the flank and forcing the opposing keeper into a save. Olympiacos continued the pressure moments later, with a shot from Kostas Mitroglou forcing the keeper into a save. Moments later, Mitroglou was the center of attention once again; this time he scored, but was adjudged in an offside position. Christos Patsatzoglou was pushed away by the Santander keeper. At the other end Racing Santander displayed some attacking flare by slotting home an awkward defensive bounce past Antonis Nikopolidis; Jonathan Pereira claiming the credit. Olympiacos managed to equalize moments later thanks to a header by Avraam Papadopoulos off a set piece from captain Predrag Djordjevic. The hosts nearly took the lead through Galletti’s shot which sailed just over the bar. Taking advantage of their opponents’ misfortunes, Racing reclaimed their lead shortly before half-time. A cross from Pereira was too difficult to handle for Leonardo, and a bad touch from the Brazilian saw the ball roll into the gaping Olympiacos goal.

Out to restore some pride in the second half, a dynamic performance from Olympiacos’ attacking line gave them a flurry of chances. Led by substitute Sebastian Leto, Olympiacos looked keen on scoring and they finally did when Leto was brought down illegally in the penalty box. Galletti step and converted with ease, leveling the game at 2-2. Racing Santander reclaimed the lead once again late in the game. A shot from Polish international Ebi Smolarek made it’s way into the goal, giving the Spanish side the lead for the third time in the match. Darko Kovacevic could have leveled the game three minutes before time, but Olympiacos’ leading goalscorer for 2007/2008 wasn’t able to hit the target behind a sprawling Toño.

Olympiacos, despite the loss, gave its fans the performance they had been waiting for all summer. All is calm in Piraeus ahead of the club’s UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round tie. New signings have blossomed thus far, including Sebastian Leto who showed that he will give Djordjevic a run for his money for a starting spot. Avraam Papadopoulos’ goal was almost a déjà vu of Júlio César goals from last year.

Olympiacos will now prepare for that crucial first leg of their 3rd Qualifying Round tie with Anorthosis Famagusta. The team will travel to Cyprus to take on the Cypriot Champions, before returning to Greece for the return leg.

Olympiacos (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Galitsios (46′ Oscar), A. Papadopoulos, Antzas (57′ Żewłakow), Leonardo (69′ Raúl Bravo), Torosidis (72′ Pantos), Patsatzoglou (69′ Mendrinos), Galletti (81′ Šišić), Predrag Djordjevic (57′ Leto), Belluschi (57′ Stoltidis), Mitroglou (57′ Kovačević).

Racing Santander (Juan Ramón López Muñiz): Toño, Oriol, Christian, Jorge López, Óscar Serrano, Pinillos, Zé António, Pereiria, Canales, Juanjo, Edu.

After a somewhat sombre opening to the transfer window, a buzz of excitement has swooped Piraeus by storm. Fans are no longer agitated by the club’s slow approach to imports, instead the supporters are excited by the names circling the Greek Champions wish list. What excites them more is the money being spent to make these ‘wishes’ a reality. A long list that features several Brazilian starlets includes CSKA Moscow’s Dudu, Portuguesa’s Diogo, and Shakhtar Donestk’s Brandao.

With Liverpool’s Sebastian Leto arriving in Athens late Monday, the club is set to have further arrivals in the coming days. The next summer transfer is said to be Brazilian Dudu Cearense. His club, CSKA Moscow, have reportedly agreed to terms with an Olympiacos offer of approximately € 6 million. The technical director for CSKA, Roman Babaev, was interviewed by a Russian radio station on Monday and Babaev confirmed the Dudu departure. “We have come to terms with Olympiakos. The player will depart tomorrow (8/5/08) for Greece to put pen to paper.” Dudu is expected to arrive in Athens on Tuesday night (17:00 GR). Olympiacos had been chasing Dudu for several months but failed to transfer him to Limani in previous transfer windows.

Shakhtar Donetsk’s Brandao is the next target for the club as the Brazilian himself is keen to a move to Piraeus. The optimism for a move to Greece is fueled by Brandao’s frustration with the Ukrainian club and living in the former Soviet country in general. I am tired of playing in the Ukraine these past six years and I am now ready to continue playing soccer at a higher level,’ Brandao told Brazilian media. “My agent is in Athens holding discussions for a possible transfer to Olympiakos. I know that we have come to an agreement with the Greek club who are offering 5 million euros for my transfer. I am awaiting for my agent to bring back the official offer on Monday (8/4/08) and then for me to move to Greece. Shakhtar is asking for € 10 million but I think that they will work something out. I believe that everything will be set on Tuesday for me to travel to Greece. I cannot wait for that to happen.” It appears the Brazilian has the same mindset as fellow Donetsk teammate and former Olympiacos player Nery Alberto Castillo. The Mexican expressed interest in a move back to Greece after not fitting in with Shakhtar.

The Diogo Santo saga continues with Portuguesa not giving the Greek Champions an answer whether or not the sale of the 21-year old will go through. Recent developments have seen German club Werder Bremen join the race for Diogo. The player recently asked Portuguesa officials to remove him from the roster ahead of an upcoming match with Sporting Recife; all this after an unsettled week at Portuguesa. Brazilian media also reported that Diogo stormed out of the team’s hotel after a heated altercatiion with Portuguesa staff. The ongoing madness between Portuguesa and Diogo, has given Olympiacos optimism that the promising striker will make the move to Piraeus.

Incidentally, it wont be the first time these two teams will lock horns in Champions League qualifying; the last came ten years ago, as mentioned before the last time Olympiacos had to enter the qualifying rounds. In 1998, Olympiacos emerged victors with a 6-3 aggregate scoreline; however, the Cypriot club is confident history wont repeat itself.

Anorthosis Famagusta capped an impressive domestic run last year by winning the Cypriot Championship. Now, the club is looking to Europe for more success. Previous European seasons have seen the club from Larnaca make many successful strides in European competition; however, they have never made it to the group stage of the Champions League. With many squad bolstering acquisitions this summer — including Traianos Dellas from AEK Athens — the club is ready to make the leap into the group stages.

One of Anorthosis’ many Greek players, Ioannis Skopelitis, believes the Cypriots can knockout the Greek Champions. The former Portsmouth player believes the time is right for Anorthosis. “The draw could have been worse although we are still playing against a big club,” the 30-year-old said. “What is to our advantage is the fact things are not all that good at the moment at Olympiacos. Their fans have seen rivals Panathinaikos make big signings this summer and they are not too happy that their team have not followed suit,” he continued. “Olympiacos are beatable, especially if they have a bad night. Saying that, they have the second leg at home and we all know the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is one of the most impressive and intimidating grounds in Europe.”

With the Cypriot team confident to progress, it seems evident that the pressure will be on Olympiacos to display a good showing. An ongoing drought in the transfer market has left the club reeling in attack, and exposed in the midfield. With only 7 days ahead of the due date for roster submissions, the club is looking desperate. With that being said, there is still plenty of depth to mount an Olympiacos victory. Darko Kovacevic will be a key figure, while captain Pedrag Djordjevic, Ieroklis Stoltids and Luciano Galletti will man the midfield. The defense boasts an abundance of talent, including Vassilis Torosidis, arguably one of Greece’s best wing backs. In goal, experience will be on Olympiacos’ side as Antonis Nikopolidis will be called upon to man the posts. Playing the best of football in his later years, look for the recent international retiree to steal the limelight over the two legs.

Olympiacos wont know their actual opponents until midweek, and by then the squad submissions for the two legs will be due. Foreshadowing a return to Cyprus, the upcoming friendlies against Atromitos and Spain’s Racing Santander will be a good indicator of the club’s chances of progression. The first leg will take place at the Antonis Papadopoulos stadium in Larnaca, while the return leg will see Olympiacos host the Cypriot Champions at the Georgios Karaiskakis.