Despite the presence of four Greek teams in European groups, the odds are not on Greece’s side as they try to climb from 19th to 15th place UEFA ranking. As their expert explains, Andreas Dimatos, it will take at least three of the four Greek teams to continue their course beyond the group stage, since the distance is currently nine wins. Therefore AEK, Panathinaikos, Olympic and PAOK they will need to make several breakthroughs for Greek football to once again take the fifth team in Europe, from the 2025/26 season.
Andreas Dimatos’ post in detail:
And after a fairly successful summer for Greek football, one of the best of the current decade, it’s today the time of the cross for our four representatives in the main menu of UEFA competitions.
The goal of the big-4 of Greek football is difficult to define, the requirements in the three groups of Europa and one of the Conference are completely different as well as the difficulty of each group, however the necessity of accumulating points is a given and the effort remains very difficult .
However, in order for there to be conditions for occupying the 15th place in the UEFA standings from this season, it is certain that the 24 guaranteed European matches of our teams until December 14 are not enough. In the first phase we should make them 32 (with the same number of qualifiers which will be triumphant), then… 30 and we’ll see!
The bar may be set high, in order not to… lose the second season of the new three-year period of many changes in the European Cups, but the mathematics are facts and the numbers cannot be disputed!
The difference between our country and the 15th place in the current UEFA rating, which is currently occupied by Norway, is 3,500 points. Quite simply, we are separated from 15th place by four countries and about nine (9) Greek victories! Should these victories take place in the 24 group matches? Difficult… But even then they won’t arrive, since the nine representatives of the four countries with which we compete will be doing more and more in the meantime!
And we are specifically talking about Molde and Bodo Glimt from 15th Norway, Maccabi Haifa (the only case of a direct clash since they are in the group of Panathinaikos) and Maccabi Tel Aviv from 16th Israel, Shakhtar and Zorya from 17th Ukraine and the 18th Czech Republic to be the only one with three representatives, Slavia, Sparta Prague and Plzen.
Some of these teams are in theoretically more passable groups than the four Greek ones (especially in relation to that of… AEK!), some in equally difficult groups, but the bottom line is that the heart of Greek football will beat on these six Thursdays of the same number of matches . And this is because not only will all four Greek teams compete on Thursdays, but the same applies to the teams of the opposing countries in the battle for 15th place, since of the above nine teams only the Ukrainian Shakhtar participates in a Champions League group. The rest are divided among the 16 groups of Europa and the Conference League and start tonight together with ours.
In Greece’s favor in this very difficult upset battle is that they have the most teams in the fray with four representatives, but even that will not prove to be enough if the Greek representation is completed in December.
Qualifications will be required both in Europa (through the first three places in the groups) and also in the Conference with PAOK who only needs first and second place in their own group.
In the first phase (we have to) go for 30-32 European matches, Greek representation in 2024 and we see from then on any kind of excess like PAOK did last year with the eight in the Conference. The one that barely gave us the 15th place, which Greek football finally took advantage of this summer.
Nothing is guaranteed!
On the contrary, the facts are extremely difficult and in no way in favor of our country.
In any case, it’s worth the effort!
Good start tonight to our four representatives! Greek football measures its strength!
Good luck!
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
