Each matchday loads us with more suspense than the last. The favourites gather in the… Their shell, the underdogs spring up and seem capable of anything. This is life in this year’s championship, we enjoy it and we only judge what we have in front of us, the risk of being exposed is huge.
AEK before going to Karaiskakis radiated a certainty, perhaps even greater than its real, capabilities this year. They didn’t make it, they buckled under pressure, they lost to a better team. From an Olympiacos who… choked. The same opponent had beaten them at OPAP Arena on March 31, being inferior, with a goal in the finale, against the flow of the match.
Last night Medilibar’s outfit showed how much improvement they have since the Basque sat on the edge of the bench and why exactly he reached the Conference League final. When they overcome the strain, they are the best team in this league.
But, he won’t get the championship and rightly so, because halfway through and a little bit more, he was far below what we’ve been seeing for 3 months. The duration deprives Olympiacos of the title.
I don’t know if this … mug will end up in Toumba. Personally, I think it is fair to happen, this PAOK overall in the season is the most stable team, but we said, what we have experienced so far, has taught us one thing: not to anticipate, to let the facts do the talking.
Lucescu’s team, 3 days after the victory over Olympiacos, scored 4 goals against Panathinaikos, the… It scattered, it made life even more difficult for him in view of the important things that follow. The “greens”, theoretically fresher, seemed unable to meet the weight of the demands. Even in the good intervals they had, they didn’t convince you that they were capable of getting anything. PAOK smelled… Blood in the finale, came out in waves and sent a clear title message.
The “biceps of the north” had clever tactics. Even when he conceded the goal with which Panathinaikos re-entered the game, he did not get carried away, he gave space, he had patience and he was vindicated. The 4-1 win, apart from overtaking AEK, also gives an extremely important psychological advantage ahead of Sunday.
We all understand what the championship inside “Vikelidis” means for PAOK, just as we understand what it means for Aris to deprive its great rival of the championship by playing in front of its fans. I am trying to “weigh” what an Aris fan would answer to the dilemma: Cup or not championship PAOK…
This is not the time for technical analysis, we have time until Sunday, but PAOK in this year’s 3 derbies in Thessaloniki, has only picked up one point! So, in order to celebrate, he will have to do something that failed in the previous three attempts! Yes, but you will say, the one he has in front of him now is different, it has a different gravity, it is a match that will make history, whatever the result. We will be in complete agreement on this. We will live a match that Thessaloniki will talk about… Centuries! I am not exaggerating. I feel it, I already receive it, from friends and acquaintances who live in the city.
To emphasize the above, I would like to emphasize that it supplants the biggest derby in the country, that of the “eternals”. On the Avenue will be decided (in direct connection with the Cup and Conference League finals) a European ticket. Panathinaikos only with a victory goes relatively calm to meet Aris at Panthessaliko on the 25th of the month.
Olympiacos is also comfortable with a draw to have less pressure against Fiorentina on May 29 at the OPAP Arena. Panathinaikos also has a rally to manage, and this can play its part, positively or negatively…
I close with AEK, because until Sunday they will be the champions. I do not rule out holding the scepter, I explained the difficulties of PAOK’s mission. Yes, the Union has made a lot of mistakes, it has many vulnerabilities, it is inferior to last year’s team. This does not deprive her of the right to hope, everything is wide open, hold on, a few days left…
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