Piraeus braces as Eternal Derby enters the limelight

By: Peter Katsiris | March 1st, 2009

The Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium will be in the limelight once again on Sunday as Olympiacos welcomes archrivals Panathinaikos to Piraeus. In the season’s second meeting between two of Greece’s most successful clubs, the Eternal derby resumes in the ancient port city with much to play for despite Olympiacos inevitably on pace for a fifth consecutive Greek title.

Although Olympiacos’ Super League record allows Ernesto Valverde’s men to flex an eleven-point lead over their eternal rivals, the Greek Champions have struggled as of late. Another loss on Thursday, their third in a row, Olympiacos’ European campaign came to an abrupt end in France. Meanwhile, Hen Ten Cate has crafted an in-form Panathinaikos as of late, and a 1-1 draw with Spanish outfit Villarreal at the El Madrigal in Spain has injected the Athenian side with plenty of confidence ahead of the Sunday’s titanic clash.

Numbers game

Both sides played out a scoreless stalemate in Athens back in November; however, traditionally matches between the two in Piraeus have produced more goals – at least in recent years. The last time these intercity rivals battled at the Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium was in a Greek Cup encounter that resulted in a 4-0 win for Olympiacos. Four days prior to Olympiacos’ thrashing of their Athenian foes, Paraskevas Antzas and Dame N’doye struck for their respective clubs to permit a 1-1 draw.

Aside from their embarrassing defeat in the cup, Panathinaikos has gone unbeaten in the last five editions of the derby. Three consecutive draws are the most recent results from the ‘Trifylli’ against the ‘Erythrolefki’, but the prior two matches in the five-game span are victories for the capital club. One of those wins came at Karaiskakis as a mistake by Giorgos Anatolakis allowed Dimitrios Papadopoulos to slot home the game winning goal in a 1-0 win for the visiting ‘Prasini’.

Looking Forward

History won’t be a factor on Sunday as both sides aim to secure three points for different reasons. Ailing at the moment, Olympiacos will hope to end a three-game slide and end a drought in offense which has seen the Greek Champions score just twice in their last three matches in all competitions. Facing a stiff schedule over the next week or so, Olympiacos’ clash with Panathinaikos is the first derby for ‘O Thrylos’ who play PAOK twice within the approaching week, a positive result, namely a win, would be of great benefit to the Greek titleholders ahead of a must win Cup clash with ‘Dikefale tou Vorra’.

Panathinaikos, meanwhile, might not be as adamant to pursue the Super League frontrunners, especially with the toll of their UEFA Champions League campaign. Nonetheless, when Ten Cate and his troops visit Karaiskaki on Sunday they will be keen to collect maximum points. Like their hosts, Cup action also occupies Panathinaikos during midweek as Panserraikos travels to Athens with a 0-0 aggregate score in check.

Injury Bug

A string of injuries plagued Olympiacos when they traveled to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Thursday. Already trailing Saint-Etienne by a 3-1 score-line ahead of kickoff on Thursday, the loss of inspirational midfielder Luciano Galletti, and his compatriot Fernando Belluschi was a devastating blow to Olympiacos’ chances of overturning the deficit.

On Sunday, the Argentine duo could return to the line-up as Luciano Galletti is a confirmed returnee, but Belluschi has also been named to the roster. Not on the roster, however, is another Argentine midfielder. Sebastian Leto, on-loan from Liverpool until season’s end, is mysteriously missing from the eighteen-man squad, and the Greek press is reporting a falling out between the 22-year-old and Valverde is likely the reason for his absence.

Worth the sacrifice?

Meanwhile, Panathinaikos hasn’t run into the same nagging injuries as their Sunday night opponents. Only Marcelo Mattos and Evangelos Mantzios will miss the match.

Not so clear Favourites

It may be undeniable that Panathinaikos is the side on-song at the moment, but Olympiacos’ undefeated home record and ability to produce astonishing performances against their hated rivals should not be forgotten.

It may be coincidental, but Olympiacos was on a bit of slide when Valverde’s men travelled to OAKA back in November. Having lost their UEFA Cup group stage opener to Aegean rivals Galatasaray, Olympiacos followed up their loss to the Turks with their first defeat of the season in the Super League as Aris’ got the better of the Piraeus giants through a Javito strike.

In a similar predicament this time around, it wouldn’t be a shocking result if Olympiacos turn the tables on their rivals and collect full points on Sunday.