Greek Derby Dey Hot! Panathinaikos vs Olympiacos Clash for Supremacy

Dis Sunday, all eye go dey for Greece as two big rivals, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, go lock horn for one serious match wey dem dey call “Derby of the Eternal Enemies.” Na matchday two for di Championship group of di Greek Superleague, and di tension dey high like pepper soup.

Panathinaikos, wey dem dey call “The Shamrock,” dey sit for fourth position for table with 50 points from 27 games. Dem start di season under Rui Vitoria, but after poor results, di club sack am. Christos Kontis come take over as interim coach before dem finally bring Rafael Benitez as main manager.

Benitez don do strong work since e come. Under am, Panathinaikos don win 20 matches, draw 9, and lose 7 for all competitions. Dem even run one 10-game unbeaten streak wey help dem qualify for dis Championship group. For dia last match, dem draw 0-0 with PAOK, extending dia unbeaten league run to 11 games. Benitez dey look make im boys continue di momentum with win for dis derby.

For di oda side, Olympiacos dey third for table with 58 points from 27 matches. But dem just suffer setback. For matchday one of dis post-split campaign, dem lose 1-0 to AEK Athens. Dat loss snap dia six-game unbeaten run across all competitions.

Now, Olympiacos trail league leaders AEK Athens by five points with only five matches remain. Dia manager, Jose Luis Mendilibar, wey don dey in charge since February 2024, don guide di team to 17 wins, 7 draws, and just 3 league losses dis season. Away from home, dem only lose one league match. Mendilibar dey rely on dat strong away form as dem face Panathinaikos.

When you look at head-to-head record, Olympiacos get upper hand for recent years. For dia last nine meetings, Olympiacos win three, draw five, and lose just one. But dat one loss happen for dia most recent encounter for February.

Panathinaikos dey face injury wahala. Georgios Katris, Moussa Sissoko, Georgios Kyriopoulos, Erik Palmer-Brown, and Cyriel Dessers all dey injured for dis match. Because of dia good form, Benitez fit decide to use di same starting lineup wey e use last time.

Olympiacos get only one injury concern. Theofanis Bakoulas dey manage ligament injury. But dia attack dey strong. Mehdi Taremi and Ayoub El Kaabi don score 27 league goals combined dis season, and di two players go likely lead di attack again for Sunday.

Possible starting lineup for Panathinaikos na: Lafont; Calabria, Jedvaj, Ingason, Hernandez, Kyriakopoulos; Pellistri, Chirivella, Bakasetas, Taborda; Tetteh. For Olympiacos, dem fit start with: Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Onyemaechi; Hezze, Garcia; Martins, Taremi, Podence; Kaabi.

Five of di last nine meetings between dis two teams end as draw. With Panathinaikos in strong form and Olympiacos desperate to stay for title race, dis match go be hard-fought encounter. Many people dey expect anoda tight affair.