Hellas Football

  Olympiakos vs Maccabi Haifa  UCL 2nd Qualifying Round Preview  By Stephen Kountourou Seconds. Seconds were the difference between me getting my prediction exactly right last Wednesday evening as Olympiakos were hosted by Maccabi Haifa. But sadly what I also said could be Thrylos downfall, happened. The team's concentration lapsed at the final moments of added time which resulted in an equaliser at the death.  Now with the home tie looming it is all to play for with the aggregate score deadlocked at 1-1. Can Olympiakos finally overcome Israeli opposition and progress to the next round, with Apollon Limassol lying in wait? Or will Thrylos crash out of the Champions League qualifiers for the second consecutive season with the supporter's frustration on social media ready to burst its banks?  Brief 1st Leg Review  At a packed Sammy Ofer Stadium, it was the away side that started the brighter of the two teams. Within the first 10 minutes, an Olympiakos attack ...

  Maccabi Haifa vs Olympiakos: Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round  By Stephen Kountourou Competitive football returns! With pre-season over for Olympiakos, the Greek champions start their season with a very tough test in the UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round against Israeli champions Maccabi Haifa. This was an opponent Thrylos did not need at the very beginning of the season. Not only was Maccabi Haifa one of the toughest possible draws for the Greek champions, Olympiakos historically faltered against Israeli opposition with some of the most embarrassing defeats in Europe coming at the hands of clubs from Israel. Still with a strong transfer window and more reinforcements still to come Olympiakos are still the favourites on paper in the tie. Not that it makes the anticipation of these matches any easier.   Competitive record vs Israeli Teams As stated previously, Olympiakos record against Israeli sides in Europe is a worrying one, with the first encounter comi...

  Can Temur Ketsbaia Turn Cyprus Around? By Stephen Kountourou It has been a real struggle for supporters of the Cyprus national team over the last couple of years. Fans of the Island nation were promised that massive changes would come in the form of a younger squad, a focus on youth development, a more progressive style of football and the hope of becoming more competitive on the international stage. We have a more youthful side, but one that looked devoid of ideas almost every game. The team was evidently uncomfortable with what they were instructed to do on the pitch and a lack of tactical identity has resulted in some embarrassing results against teams that Cyprus should be beating.  I have made this clear many times and I will say it again, this Cyprus team is talented. Individually Cyprus has a stronger side than people outside of the country give it credit for. Perhaps under a different manager than the likes of Johan Walem and Nikos Kostenoglou, who both failed specta...

Greece vs Cyprus: The Derby of Eternal Frenemies Returns  By Stephen Kountourou It is that time again when my national loyalty comes into question and this can only mean one thing. Greece will be facing off against Cyprus this week in the Nations League. Even with the ironic title of this blog, I believe that it is still an apt depiction of what we witness whenever the sister nations clash on the international stage.  There is usually a friendly atmosphere in the build-up to this fixture, with Greeks from all over the world tuning in to watch it. Both national teams stand together and proudly sing the Hymn of Liberty, the national anthem for both countries. It is quite a beautiful sight to behold as the crowd joins in to make for a real united atmosphere.  But underneath all the comradery there is the edge of competitiveness in the air. For Greece, they cannot be upstaged by what is seen as the younger sibling of the two, having not lost to the Island nation since 2001. F...

                              Kostas Tsimikas: Liverpool’s Greek Scouser  By Stephen Kountourou  It has undoubtedly been an exciting turnaround for Kostas Tsimikas during his second season at Premier League side Liverpool. From struggling with injuries, covid and a lack of game time last season under manager Jurgen Klopp, the Greek international has not only won over his coach but the affection of the supporters for his no-nonsense, hard-working performances. Supports have even affectionatly named him, ‘the Greek Scouser’. A title he can well and truly feel he has earned.  But despite gaining recognition from fans and the media, frustratingly for his Greek followers he is still resolutely behind starting left-back Andrew Roberston. This is despite being good competition for the Scottish international to up his game if he wants to maintain his starting role in the first team.  However, Tsimikas...

Return of the Greens By Antoni The famous song “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison is one that captures the moment for Panathinaikos fans. Morrison’s song is about a love interest he loses and struggles for a time  as he navigates through trying to show her he made it. This struggle perfectly encapsulates the trials Panathinaikos has faced in recent years in its quest to get back into European competition once again.     For decades, Panathinaikos was the pride of Greece and served as her representative on the European stage. Things have been more than lackluster for the past six years or so however. The greens, like Morrison, lost their love interest after facing bans and coming up short in the league table over that span. The club went through a handful of coaches and technical directors throughout the past six years, attempting to work their way through and find the formula to get that love interest back.   It appears that 2022 has finally served as the year for...

  Olympiakos vs PAOK:  Greek Cup Semi-Final Second Leg By Stephen K ountourou After the first leg in Thessaloniki ended all square, the tie between Olympiakos and PAOK is poised on a knife-edge going into the decider in Piraeus. Both sides will believe that they are capable of reaching the Greek Cup Final and earn the bragging rights over the other for the rest of the season.    Brief Post Match  After a poor performance against Panathinaikos in the league over the weekend, Pedro Martins set up his Olympiakos team more conservatively in 4-3-3 with the hope of catching the home side on the counter and not conceding too many chances. PAOK did much the same as they too had suffered a defeat to local rivals Aris and much like their southern rivals did not want to make it two losses in a row. This sadly made for a rather cagey affair between the two sides with arguably the best chance coming from the away side. Masouras thought he had put his side ahead in the f...

PAOK vs Olympiakos:  Greek Cup Semi-Final First Leg Preview By Stephen Kountourou After a few months of uncertainty, the postponed Greek Cup Semi-Final dates were announced, with the first legs due to play on the 20th and 21st respectively. The latter of these matches will feature the titanic clash of the top two teams in Greece, Cup holders PAOK and league champions Olympiakos.  Both sides have a lot to prove in this two-legged tie. For the Thessaloniki side, it's a chance to deny Thrylos the chance to win a potential double and put themselves in a final where they can claim a second consecutive Greek Cup.  Olympiakos on the other hand will want to shake off what was a disappointing European campaign and reignite their fans by claiming the League and Cup to put a positive spin on the season. There is always a fiery atmosphere on and off the pitch when the Athens vs Thessaloniki derby is played, and this tie should be no different.    Weekend Results For Bo...

Olympique de Marseille - PAOK report By Alain Anastasakis PAOK will face Marseille this Thursday night. The French club, are also the only club who has won the Champions League, is used to European Campaigns with 2 UEFA Cup/Europa League finals in 20 years. This season, the Sky blue and Whites are also in great form with a solid second spot in Ligue 1 with Jorge Sampaoli at the helm.  Can PAOK do it ?  -The players : We all know  Payet  and  Milik  and no introduction is necessary. The legend  Steve Mandanda  will likely start in  goal. We can imagine that all eyes should be on them but that would be a huge mistake.  Gerson , the Brazilian playmaker who signed last summer from Flamengo, has been shining in the midfield for couple of months now with his technique and his passing abilities and will be one of the biggest threat for PAOK's defense.   Mattéo   Guendouzi , a tireless worker who scored his first goal with the French N...