Panathinaikos-PAOK: Crash test with a ticket to the final as a prize!

Who will check in for the final?

THE Panathinaikos welcomes him PAOK (19:00, News Bulletin 247, sport-fm.gr, Cosmotesport3) on the Avenue in his rematch in favor of the “greens” of Toumba 1-0with the prize of qualification to the final of the Betsson Cup.

It is reminded that the regulation of away goals does not apply and in the event that PAOK win by one goal, the two teams will play a half-hour overtime, while if they do not resolve their differences there, the penalty shoot-out will follow. The team that will qualify will claim the trophy in a match against Ari or the Panaitolikos, with the “yellows” having a lead after the away game 1-0. The rematch in “Kl. Vikelidis” is scheduled for 6/3.

THE Panathinaikos has a lead for qualification due to the score of the first match, wanting to utilize the “weapon” of the packed “Ap. Nikolaidis”. “Clover” comes from tied 2-2 with Lamia at his “home”, due to which he lost the opportunity to return to the top of the league and it remains to be seen whether the anger over this blunder will work in favor of the “greens” or if it will affect them negatively on a psychological level. For Panathinaikos to be here, eliminated Olympiakos on penalties in “G. Karaiskakis”, after the two draws between the two teams, while in the quarter-finals he knocked out Atromitos. In Leoforo they lost 2-1 with a reversal, while they turned the situation upside down in Peristeri, winning 2-0 with Mladenovic scoring a “golden” goal at 90’+5′.

The question is whether he will have him at his disposal Tasso Bakaseta Fatih Terim, as the decision on the appeal that has been made for the punishment of the captain of the national team due to his suspension in the first match will be issued within the day. Out is Ruben, who has completed cards. Fotis Ioannidis has been placed at the disposal of the 70-year-old technician, who has been training since Sunday.

PAOK seems to be losing… oil lately, culminating in last Sunday’s heavy 4-1 defeat by Olympiakos in Toumba. The ‘double-header of the North’ has a very heavy load at the moment as this is the 4th derby in a row (in ten days), having been preceded by a 1-1 home draw with AEK for the league and a 1-0 defeat from Panathinaikos in the championship. So, it’s a situation that needs delicate handling. As in the case of Panathinaikos, it remains to be seen how he will react, after a negative result and whether he will be able to turn his anger into a “weapon”. It certainly seems imperative to improve his image.

THE Tyson he traveled with the “double-header of the North” mission and is awaiting a decision on his appeal against his first-match suspension. She, as for Bakaseta (with whom there was an episode in the first match), will come out during the day. Ekong, who returned injured from the Africa Cup of Nations, in which he was named MVP, is out, while Rafa Soares and Tsingaras are not in the squad for tactical reasons.

The mission of PAOK: Kotarski, Zivkovic, Balomenos, Vieirinia, Sastre, Otto, Kenziora, Koulierakis, Michaelidis, Baba, Schwab, Ozdoev, Meite, Marcos Antonio, Constantelias, Murg, Tyson, A. Zivkovic, Despodov, Brandon, Samata, Tzimas.

The highlights of the first match

This is the 4th meeting of the two teams this year, with both teams having one win each, as PAOK prevailed 2-1 in Toumba for the championship, while – as we mentioned above – the “clover” won 1-0 in the same Cup for the Betsson Cup. The match between the two teams in the “Ap. Nikolaidis” for the Stoiximan Super League.

82-38-60 in favor of Panathinaikos is the overall tradition in the matches of the two teams.

Possible compositions

Panathinaikos (Fatih Terim): Dragovski – Vaiannidis, Jedvai, Arao, Mladenovic – Kotsiras, Cerin, Bernard – Mancini, Palacios, Sporar

PAOK (Razvan Lucescu): Kotarski – Otto, Kenziora, Koulierakis, Baba – Meite, Schwab – Despodov, Murg, Constantelias – Thomas

Referee: Daniel Zibert (Germany)

Assistants: Jan Seidel, Raphael Foltin (Germany)

4th: Stefanos Koumbarakis (Cyclades)

VAR: Benjamin Kortus (Germany), AVAR: Reinhard Buxbaum (University of Attica)