Hellas Football

Marseille vs Olympiakos Champions League build up The Biggest Game of the Season  By Stephen Kountourou The end is in sight for the Champions League group stage. A few sides have already sealed their fate, whether they have guaranteed themselves the round of 16 or for others, elimination from European football completely. There is however, still a lot to play for before continental football finishes for the calendar year. This argument can certainly be made for Group C. Despite Manchester City booking themselves a place into the round of 16 last week, for the rest of the sides in their group this could be a make or break week, particularly Olympiakos. After a slim 0-1 loss in Piraeus to Man City last week, Thrylos will be looking for their first win since Match Day 1, against the side that they last defeated on that day, Marseille.    It is quite simply a must win game this Tuesday night away at the Velodrome, as that would cement the Greek Champions a place in the Europa...

A Beacon of Hope By Antonios Theodosis Over the summer I wrote about the possibility of Panathinaikos finding a new home at the proposed Votanikos district and how I wanted the club to renovate Leoforos instead. Well here we are months later and the project has been approved and all of the paperwork has been signed. I have had a change of heart since I wrote my initial piece over the summer and realize that while Leoforos is historical and important to Panathinaikos’ roots, it is time that the club move somewhere more modern.   As much as it pains me as a fan to see Panathinaikos leave its spiritual home I know that logically it is for the better. Moving to a more modern stadium will open up many more doors of opportunity for our club, from potential investors, to attracting players, and expanding the overall revenue the club will be able to pocket through ticket sales and not having to pay expensive rent. These are just some of the basic factors that will improve the club’s situat...

Close, but No Reward for Effort. By Christian Leggas    Olympiacos have suffered a third-straight defeat in this season's UEFA Champions League, as they went down one-nil to English Premier League Giant Manchester City.   The theme of the first half was very evident. For Olympiacos, it was all about maintaining a "You shall not pass!" attitude, as they all tried to bring out their inner Gandalf. For Manchester City? It was a case of breaking them down attack after attack.   The first chance of the game fell to Manchester City's Rodri after two minutes, as he saw his venomous first-time shot go straight to the chest of Olympiacos goalkeeper José Sá. Had that attempt gone either side of Sá, City could well have been in front.   José Sá was on alert again six minutes later, as he was able to smother a Phil Foden effort successfully with his legs. It was quite clear early on as to who was going to be the busier of the two goalkeepers in this game.   The same ma...

Olympiakos vs Manchester City  Champions League Build Up By Stephen Kountourou As club football returns and the weekend domestic fixtures have been played, we can finally return to the 2nd half of the Champions League group stage. Match Day 3 and 4 I find fascinating, as these are the rounds where two sides will play each other consecutively home and away. In some cases this midway point can decide who will finish where in a group. This is certainly the case in Group C, when Olympiakos host table toppers Manchester City at the Karaiskakis Stadium early Wednesday evening. For the Erythrolefki it is a chance, as small as it may be, to keep their top two hopes alive by sneaking a result at home to a City side that will be looking to secure a place in the round of 16 with a win away from home. So this week with I will be taking a look at the mammoth task facing the Greek champions, as they attempt to build on their huge win over the weekend in the Super League and attempt, despite havi...

What Has Gone Wrong at Panathinaikos? By Antonios Theodosis Well, it’s been a couple of hours since the big derby and the emotions are still riding high after the 1-0 loss to arch-rivals Olympiakos. One thing is growing increasingly concerning, and that is the fact that the team is on track to experience its worst season in the Alafouzos era if things continue the way they are going.   What are the problems? It is a question that comes to my mind and one that is simple yet also complex. After watching all of the matches this season it is apparent that there are chemistry issues looming large within the Panathinaikos locker room. Players are not passing to each other on simple plays, ignoring calls for passes, and throwing fits when being subbed out of games as seen today by Xatziovanis and Federico Macheda a couple of weeks ago. When compared to the dynamic of the team under Donis it is glaringly obvious that this is a team that is not united. When players miss huge chances to leve...

A Wave of Reaction By Greg Gavalas It was not that long ago, ok well maybe it was, after Euro 2004 days when more so 2008 onwards that I myself was particularly critical of the Ethniki coaches, this includes Otto Rehhagle, Fernando Santos and the biggest culprit of them all, Michael Skibbe. This generally came from very lacklustre performances, and from squeezing out wins against minnows, playing friendly games with no real new talent and seen the same 11 walk around for much of the match whilst coming away 1-0 winners. We did have teams of strong character and players with much experience and that was the difference, we made Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 (and won our first game), Euro 2012 as well as the World Cup of 2014, which was our last major tournament. We then had the huge fall from grace after that, the disaster Euro 2016 qualification campaign (insert clip of past article here) were we wen through 3 coaches, our saving grace was the 2018 World Cup Qualification, this was the last...

Olympiakos vs Panathinaikos The Derby of Eternal Enemies, Build Up By Steve Kountourou In almost every major league, there is one game on the calendar that is prioritised over all else, the derby. A clash between two rival sides that both fans and players see as a must win. Whether it is two teams fighting for a league title, a long historical bout between to local sides or just to have bragging rights over one another for the season, these rivalries have split family and friends down the middle, with both sides sporting different colours of their team. Games like El Classico, The North London derby and San Marino vs Liechtenstein are all seen as the ultimate clashes of the ages. Ok maybe not that last one.  But in Greece there is one game that is so deeply rooted in its history, of difference in class and political ideologies that still to this day, it has gained the reputation as one of the biggest and most heated rivalries in club football. Even its name, 'The Derby of Eternal E...