Olympiakos vs Panathinaikos The Derby of Eternal Enemies, Build Up

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 Enemies' shows its impact and importance in Greek Football, I am talking of course about Olympiakos vs Panathinaikos. Traditionally it started as a clash between the middle class of central Athens vs the working class in the port of Piraeus, evolved over the years into the two biggest and most supported clubs in the country duking it out for the league title every season. Even the ethos of both clubs are very different, with Olympiakos always aspiring for sporting excellence with the biggest and best players, whereas Panathinaikos have always focused more on youth and development and in doing so, producing some of the best players Greece has ever seen.

In recent times the rivalry, while still very prevalent, has faulted slightly. With the dominance of Thrylos domestically, PAO financial struggles in the last decade, away fans being banned from the game and the rise of PAOK and AEK in competing for both the titles. Despite this it is still seen in the Greek football calendar as a massive game, which is exactly what I will be talking about in the week's blog. A quick build up on this weekend's clash, how they have done in the league this season so far and to finish, a cheeky look at seven players that have spent time at both clubs over the last decade.           

Last Time in the Super League….Plus overall form

Both sides have had very different starts to the season going into this game.

Olympiakos

Olympiakos, are undefeated at the time of writing, with five wins in six games. Other than a slip up 1-1 draw away to PAS Giannina, the Greek champions have scored 14 goals so far this season with only one conceded. Granted, they have not faced a truly big test yet, with both their fixtures vs AEK and PAOK postponed when they were originally meant to be played. 

Thrylos biggest problem this season has been their creativity, with the side failing to score in the first half all season and eventually getting into the game in the second half of games. In their last game before the international break Olympiakos comfortably defeated OFI away in create, thanks to a well taken header from Hassan and a goal from Masouras thanks to the hard work of Kostas Fortounis coming off of the bench, still room for improvement but a win is a win.

 

Panathinaikos

Panathinaikos on the other hand, have had a torrid time in the Greek Super League this campaign. After Giorgos Donis left the club in the summer at the end of his contract, Spaniard Dani Poyatos came in toward the end of July as his replacement. After a poor start to the season with two losses and a draw in their first three games of the season, even his previous experience with the Real Madrid youth team could not save him, and he was shown the door. There was even talk of players confronting one another in the locker room, with the performances unbefitting of a club like the Prasini. 

After a week, and the controversial 2-2 draw with OFI away in Crete, PAO hired Romanian and former PAOK manager László Bölöni. In his first match in charge, his side were unlucky to draw the game against Volos thanks to a late goal from Bartolo. Wins against Lamia and Apollon continued improvement in their form. Most recently however they fell to a disappointing 0-1 loss at home to local rivals Atromitos. This leaves Panathinaikos record with eight games played, two wins three draws three losses, seven goals scored seven goals conceded, one of the clubs poorest starts to the season.   

Injuries and Absentees 

Olympiakos

 

In the last couple of days some damning news has come out, in the wake of this latest international break for Olympiakos, as both of Thrylos main strikers Yussef El Arabi and Ahmed Hassan will be unavailable with covid 19 for the next two week. Also more bad news for Olympiakos, as french veteran Mathieu Valbuena is out for a couple of weeks after an injury in training over the international break. This is not only a blow for this weekend's derby, but also for their tie with Manchester City in the Champions League. 

Panathinaikos

At the time of writing there are no absentees for PAO, although as we have experienced in the last year with the pandemic, that could change very quickly in the coming days.

Seven players who played for both clubs this decade

Spyros Risvanis 

To start let's take a look at somewhat of a success story. Enter Spyros Risvanis. The 26 year old defender began his career as a Panathinaikos youth academy graduate. In his first season in the senior squad he played sporadically, as PAO won the Greek Cup in 2013/14. He found game time harder to come by the next season and was loaned out to Panionios where he would eventually sign for them permanently after being released from the Prasini. After another two solid seasons with the panthers, he was picked up by Olympiakos, but was loaned out immediately to Atromitos. After another great campaign from the Kalamata native, he signed for the Athens side permanently, where he has played since 2017/18 and has gained recognition as a solid Super League player, even making the 2018/19 Team of the Year.

    

Tasos Avlontis

Now onto a player I remember well when playing for Thrylos, a friend of Hellas football, Tasos Avlontis. The now 30 year old defender started his professional career in the Athens suburbs with Egaleo. After three years at the club, he was picked up by then Super League side, Kavala, but was released soon after 2010/11 and signed for Panionios. After working his way into the first team and showing his talents, Olympiakos came calling, where he played a vital part of the club winning a Greek double with the league title and Cup in 14/15. 

Highlights at his time include his bullet header that ended up being the winning goal in the derby against Panathinaikos. After a loan spell with Autrian side Sturm Graz and mutually agreeing to leaving Thrylos afterwards, he signed on a short term contract with Scottish side Hearts. After the season in Scotland, Panathinaikos picked up the centre back on a permanent deal. During his season with PAO he was a great cover option, but found consistent game time hard to come by. He eventually left Greece and resigned with Sturm Graz, this time on a permanent basis and he had a solid two year spell in Austria. He currently plays in Italy with Serie B with Ascoli.   

       

Stefanos Kapino

Despite being another player to bless the pitch from the Panathinaikos youth academy and into their senior team, goalkeeper Stefanos Kapino, is actually a Piraeus native, even training with Olympiakos before Panathinaikos swooped and signed him permanently. He was played sparingly for the first couple of years with PAO, making his debut in 2011 at aged 17 becoming the youngest player to ever play for the club, but after the departure of then stall wart keeper Orestis Karnezis, Kapino finally to his chance to be the number one. He had his breakout season in 2013/14, helping his side to the Greek Cup. He would make the move to Germany where he played for Mainz 05, before he returned to Greece and signed for Olympiakos in 2015. 

He mostly featured in the Greek Cup at first but still helped Thrylos to his first domestic title. By 2016/17 he was seen as the number one keeper for the Piraeus side, winning another league title in the process. At the start of the 2017/18 season Kapino seemed out of sorts during a rather disastrous campaign for the club and lost his place after 3-2 comeback loss vs AEK Athens. His contract was terminated by the club in January 2018, he signed with Nottingham Forest a month later. He has since signed for his current club, Werder Bremen in Germany, where he has mostly been used as a back up. 

 

Panagiotis Vlachodimos

German born but of Greek Ethnicity, and brother to Greek international and Benfica Keeper Odysseas, winger Panagiotis Vlachodimos, started his footballing career in his country of birth with Stuttgart's second team. He would then join Xanthi, where he caught my eyes after scoring against both Panathinaikos and Olympiakos in his debut campaign in Greece, winning best young player of the 2011/12 season. Thrylos came calling and signed him there very next season. After an encouraging first season with the club, helping his side win the domestic double. 

The next few years would see him loaned out to FC Augsburg in Germany, Platanias and Ergotelis in Greece and finally Nimes in France before Olympiakos decided to let the player go and he became a free agent for six months before joining rivals Panathinaikos. After a legal battle between the two Greek giants involving this player in question, he would go on to play a big part in the PAO side for the remainder of the season. He would go on to sign for former loan side Nimes in Ligue 2, where he helped them to promotion to the Ligue 1. He has since played back in Germany with SG Sonnenhof Großaspach and current club Dynamo Dresden.   

 

Dimitris Kolovos

It certainly has been an interesting career so far for the winger Dimitris Kolovos. The Greek international started his career in Delta Ethniki with local side PAS Oropos before Panionios picked up the player. After working his way from their youth ranks into the first team and being lured for his pace and dribbling ability, he signed with Olympiakos in August 2013, but was immediately sent back on loan to his former club in Nea Smyrni for two seasons. 

Once back with Thrylos he struggled for games, with the combination with some unlucky long term injuries, Kolovos was loaned out to Belgian side Mechelen where he would sign permanently. After another injury hit spell in Belgium, he was loaned out twice, to Willem II in Holland and Omonia in Cyprus respectively. After that second more encouraging loan, Panathinaikos picked up the winger where he played most of the 201920 season. He is still a PAO player, but is currently on loan with Sheriff Tiraspol who compete in the Moldovan National League.   

Nikos Vergos

Now for one whose career has faulted over the last couple years, but still has time to reach his potential striker Nikos Vergos. A Kilkis native from the Greek region of Macedonia, Vergos started his playing career in the Olympiakos academy and was a graduate of their youth system after five years. After a few starts and scoring his first goal for the club against Asteras Tripolis, Thrylos would then send the talented forward out on loan to both Spanish sides  Elche and then two years at Real Madrid's B side, Castilla. 

He was then loaned out again in 2018 to Hungarian side Vasas FC. But after that unsuccessful loan spell, he failed to impress and was deemed surplus to current Olympiakos manager Pedro Martins and his contract was cancelled. Panathinaikos took a punt on Vergos and signed him. He was then loaned out again to Hercules CF in Spain before PAO let him go to Pantolikos on a permanent basis, where he currently plays.

  

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos

Saving the best, and most successful of the players on this list, till last step forward Lazaros Christodoulopoulos. The only player to play for all of Greece's big four clubs. The Thessaloniki native, naturally, began playing for PAOK where he would spend the first three years of his career. relations with his boyhood club broke down however and in the summer of 2008 he signed for Panathinaikos. After winning the Domestic double in 2009/10 with the Prasini, he would go through a bit of an injury hit spell but the Greek international continued to score in Europe raising his profile even more so. He was surprisingly released in the summer of 2013, along with a number of key players at the club, due to PAO president Giannis Alafouzos, wishing to 'save money for the team'. 

After three spells away in Italy with Bologna, Hellas Verona and on loan with Sampdoria, Lazaros returned to Athens in 2016, joining PAO rivals AEK, where he first helped them to the Greek Cup final in 2017 and then to their first league title since 1994 in 2017/18. Following a controversial legal battle between the player and AEK, Lazaros controversially joined Olympiakos in summer 2018. He played a key role, in his first season, during a transition period for the club and less prevalently in 2019/20 when Thrylos won the double and his second of his career. After leaving the Greek champions last summer, he is currently still in Athens playing for Atromitos, where he recently scored the winner against his former club, Panathinaikos.

 

Quick honourable mention to Argentine Sebastián Leto, who had two excellent spells with PAO, and did also play for Olympiakos, but sadly played for them at the end of the 2000s in 08/09 so just misses out for me.

Final Thoughts 

To finish back in the present day, and this weekend's clash between both sides. Despite the gap being fairly large between the two teams in quality, both Olympiakos and Panathinaikos always up their game for this match, regardless of form or who is where in the table. That to me is the biggest part of a derby match, it's all about on the day, who can perform and who will take the bragging rights before the sides face off again. That to me is why the Derby of Eternal Enemies still holds up, for me as one of club football's biggest clashes. I'm going to predict a 1-0 win for Olympiakos, maybe slightly biased there.

Hellas Football 

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