Hellas Football

PSV vs Olympiakos,   Europa League Round of 32 Second Leg Preview By Steve Koubtourou It's all still to play for in a good few ties in the upcoming second leg of the Europa League round of 32. The competition experienced one of its highest scoring weeks during the knockout phase, as all sixteen ties accumulated a whopping total of 60 goals scored on Thursday night. A true reflection of such a crazy week in Europe in particular was the end to end affair between Greek Champions Olympiakos and Dutch side PSV Eindhoven. Despite Thrylos coming away with a deserved victory, it's not plain sailing for the Piraeus side as they travel to Holland in a hope of doing enough to keep the tie in their favour and reach a consecutive round of 16. So predictably this week I will be doing a preview of the second leg of Olympiakos round of 32 tie against PSV, lovingly touching on the first leg in Piraeus, how both teams performed over the weekend and what Thrylos can expect as they are hosted by t...

  “Make Or Break”- Asteras Tripolis Edition By Alexander Koutakos My predictions in last week’s article went wrong. Completely wrong! Moreover, Panathinaikos beat Olympiacos(2-1) and Asteras played in a disappointing draw with Lamia(0-0). That means that Asteras are now 4 points below Panathinaikos and 6 points below a european spot. For Asteras, the weekend could not have gone any    worse! However, there is still hope and it is still very possible that Asteras finish in a european spot. In my opinion, the next 2 games(vs AEK Athens and PAOK) will be crucial. These games will serve as a “Make or Break” opportunity for Asteras. If Asteras achieve 3 points or more, Asteras would still be in the running for the european places. On the contrary, if Asteras get less than 3 points, I don’t see them finishing top 4. Anything can happen, but this is what I think. To further examine Asteras’s odds in those games, I will predict the outcomes of those two games(against AEK Athens a...

Olympiakos vs PSV Europa League Round of 32 Preview By Steve Kountourou After a couple of months break, continental football finally returns this week in the form of the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. With so many huge clashes coming up which will eventually shape who reaches the final of both competitions, undoubtedly the most anticipated tie of any has to be the fascinating Round of 32 tie between Olympiakos and PSV, no bias there at all.  Upon the Greek Champions drawing one of Hollands biggest sides many Thrylos fans, myself included, believe it certainly is reasonable think that Olympiakos should be able to compete with the Eindhoven side.That is not to say this game will be by any means an easy one but before I fully go into this preview I shall simply say that if Thrylos want to be taken seriously in Europe at home and on the continent, then they have to be matching and surpassing teams like this. The question is, can they do it?  Well it just so happens t...

Why I think that Asteras Tripolis Will Finish In A European Spot (2-4, presuming that a team placed 1-3 wins the Greek Cup) By:Alexander Koutakos Asteras Tripolis are hot, very hot! Moreover, they have won their last 6 games in the #SLGR! Asteras’s superb run of form has seen them score 8 goals and only concede 1 in their past 6 games. In their superb run, they have beaten Aris(2-1), Apollon Smyrni(1-0), Panetolikos(2-0), Larissa(1-0), OFI(1-0) and Volos (1-0).  In this article, I will be writing about the current battle for the european places(2-4), why I think that Asteras Tripolis will finish in a european place (2-4) and why I believe that player quality will not be the deciding and determining factor in the battle for the European places (2-4). The Current Battle For The European Places With Olympiacos 15 points ahead in the league and having practically wrapped up the league,the battle for the european places (2-4) in the Greek Super League is heating up! Currently, Aris lead...

No Love Lost between two Eternal Enemies, Olympiakos Preview By Steve Kountourou On Sunday the 14th February, for many it will be Valentines Day and people from all over the world will be celebrating as best as they can under the current circumstance the day of love. What this day is not usually known for however is a hotly contested football match between two of the most bitter and hated rivals in European football. But that certainly will be the case this Sunday when Olympiakos travel to play eternal enemies Panathinaikos. This certainly is a fascinating time in the season for both sides to face each other, despite many seeing it as the race for the title all but over. Both clubs are two of the most in form teams currently and a defeat for either side could potentially derail their campaigns, such is the weight for every player or manager that competes in this game. Seeing as fellow Hellas Football contributor Antoni has recently written a preview on how he would like to see from Pan...

Valentine’s Day Derby Preview:  Panathinaikos vs Olympiakos By: Antonios Theodosis   With the Derby of the Eternal Enemies quickly approaching this weekend I would like to take the time to quickly give my thoughts on what I would like to see from Panathinaikos in the big game. This is a derby that is sure to be exciting in the lead up to kick off as both teams are in good form in 2021 leaving it to be anyone’s game if the cards are played right.   For Panathinaikos to win this match it is crucial that Bart Schenkeveld is fit and ready to start in the backline for the Greens. The Dutchman has been high-flying especially in 2021 helping the team go seven games without conceding a goal and I would argue that he has been Panathinaikos’ MVP since the start of the year. His importance to the defensive stability of this PAO team was made evident this past weekend against Atromitos when he received a knock and had to be subbed out. Almost immediately the team’s defensive structur...

Greek Cup Quarter Final Preview By Steve Kountourou Things are starting to heat up in the Greek Cup as the last eight sides get ready to face one another over two legs in the quarter finals of the competition. While there are no lower division sides in the cup this season, there is still a lot of potential for a couple of upsets to take place and see an unlikely underdog reach the semi finals, unlikely being the key word here. So for this week's blog I will be previewing each Cup tie, how each team qualified from the round of 16    and who I think will progress to the final four.  AEK Enosis were previously drawn against Apollon Smyrni in the Round of 16 and started the tie in a straightforward manner by comfortably defeating Kianolefki 2-0 at the Olympic Stadium. The second leg at the Georgios Kamaras Stadium however went very differently as Apollon took an early lead through Abiola Dauda and despite Nelson Oliveira equalising six minutes later, Apollon gave themselves a...