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paokarag4

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Everything posted by paokarag4

  1. Yeah they have definitely improved and are a threat. I am sure the team and Poyet wouldn't take them lightly anyway, but us as fans need to expect a tough match. One legged ties can be really tense and cagey, especially with so much riding on it. Who can forget Italy being knocked out of World Cup qualifying 2 years ago when Skopje absorbed pressure for 90 minutes and struck in stoppage time.
  2. Ones to avoid are for sure are Aston Villa (4th in England) and Lille (4th in France) IMO. Fenerbahçe/Plzen/Club Brugge would all be close to 50-50s. Olympiakos I want to avoid until at least the semis, don't think Greece is ready for an all Greek European tie. I imagine plenty of chaos if we were to be drawn together and UEFA would probably get a proper look at our xalia. Fiorentina is having an average year in Italy (currently 8th) but you have to respect their name. I put them as close to the 50-50 category, probably 60-40 in their favour.
  3. Unbelievable come-back and result!!! Huge effort by the boys and hats off to Lucescu, he heard plenty after the last 2 weeks so I hope he gets to enjoy and really soak in the victory/qualification! He and the team can put their feet up and savour the result for a week or so and then get back to work during the international break for the game against PAO! Bravo PAOKARA!!!
  4. A goal within 15 minutes would be massive. It would do wonders for our confidence and get the fans right into the game. I think the game will be tight and cagey as the first leg was, hopefully the mistake comes from Dinamo this time and we can capitalize. For all the criticism he has copped (and of late it has been deserved) I do think Samatta is our best option to start up top in this one. He will at least physically compete with the packed defence and can link up with his teammates. Thomas is invisible against these types of teams, off the bench his energy can give us something, but not from the start. I am receptive to Tzimas starting over both of them, but I am conscious that he is 18 and it's going to be a tough physical slog for whoever our striker is. The boys just need to be competitive and create some chances, that would be a massive improvement on our last 2 games. If we do that I am confident we can grab a goal at some stage and put the heat on them.
  5. I honestly think he won't start either. Mavropanos/Chatzidiakos has been Poyet's preferred CB pairing while he's been at the helm. The only question mark is Chatzidiakos as he hasn't played for around 2 months. I dare say Retsos will start before either Kouilerakis/Tzavellas gets a run. I do agree though, the Tzavellas saga is strange. They are hell bent on carrying him to Euro 2024 but I thought he would go along as a part of the coaching staff.
  6. Kouilerakis and Konstantelias called up to the Ethniki for the do or die playoff v Kazakhstan and a potential playoff final vs Georgia or Luxembourg.
  7. Giannoulis out injured, only one left-back in the squad. Good to see Tzolis back in, deserved call-up. I don't really understand what is going on with Tzavellas. He apparently played his last game for the Ethniki in November, yet he continues to be a part of the call-ups. It was my understanding he would be a member of the coaching staff/a mentor of sorts. They clearly want to take him to the Euros if we qualify, but again if that is the case then why retire? Or if he is done as a player and is just a part of the coaching staff, then why does he need to be included in the playing squad? Not a big deal but it doesn't make any sense to me.
  8. One thing to lose, another thing to lose like that. Awful performance with barely a punch thrown from us. We've had a few awful performances this season sprinkled amongst the good performances and results. Obviously going to be tough next week, I do give us a chance (albeit a small one) of winning by 2 goals and forcing the game to extra time. I don't think our attack will be that toothless for a 2nd game in a row and while Dinamo defended well, we certainly helped by moving the ball so slowly and with our countless turnovers. If we put the screws to them and have players run at them and get in behind they will concede goals, they aren't a defensive juggernaut by any means. I do think they'll score though, so I think we are going to have score at least three to force extra time and based off today's performance you can't say we will be scoring 3 with any confidence.
  9. I believe I read it was Zivko Zivkovic the keeper, not Andrija with the fever. Clearly something going through the squad, at least A.Zivko and Kotarski have recovered from it and are fit for this game. Hopefully this flu doesn't take down any other key players.
  10. With the injuries to Ekong and Michalidis, it means Nasberg is going to get games at least until the international break in mid-March. Reading reports, it seems Kedizora will be rested for this one with Nasberg starting alongside Koulierakis. Less than ideal to be down to bare bones at CB, especially at this stage of the season. We are one injury away from it all going belly up. I'm sure I read when we signed Otto that he had played a handful of games for Wolves at centre back, but I think that was part of a back 5. Not sure any of our full-backs can cover at CB if needed, the kid from the B team Panagiotou will almost certainly get some minutes over the next month.
  11. Not sure if that's heartbreaking or comedy... To have 3 opportunities in the shootout to win the game and to miss all three penalties is unbelievable. Otherwise I think the team played the game almost perfectly, limited PAO to creating very little and deserved to qualify. Great to see a response from the squad and Lucescu, in terms of performance. Hopefully the boys aren't too rattled by the way which the elimination came about and can recover both physically and mentally to get 3 points on the weekend.
  12. Awful result. Opportunity to go clear on top and knock Olympiakos out of the running goes begging. Instead we are now neck deep in a 4 horse race. Clearly a concerning trend with regards to 3 home derbies in a week for 0 wins. Now the midweek 2nd leg of the cup tie becomes so important, mentally for the team to be winless in 4 derbies in the space of 10 days could be fatal. The team needs to stick together and bounce back strong, block out all the outside noise (and there will be plenty, I've already read knee-jerk reactions about our season being over) and get to work. Hit the game at Leoforo hard, and absolutely win our next 3 league games. Make no mistake we are still in the race, but we have shot ourselves in the foot over the last week. If we win our last 3 league games before the playoffs, this bump will be in the rear view mirror. If we don't then it will feel like the end of the world (footballing wise).
  13. With PAO dropping points overnight, it's a big opportunity for us to create a little lead at the top of the table over them. A win would also extinguish what little flame still flickers for Olympiakos title hopes. If they manage to beat us, the difference will only be 4 points. A win puts us 10 clear of them, so the 6 point swing is massive. Hopefully the lads are up for it from the start. With Taison suspended (and carrying a niggle anyway) I'm looking forward to seeing Konstantelias hopefully start. He may still come off the bench, woulnd't shock me to see Lucescu start Murg as the 10, and Zivkovic/Despodov on the wings.
  14. I believe every club can request one league game to be pushed back due to European Competition. We did it a couple of years ago in our Conference League quarter final run. For Olympiakos, a run in Europe is all they have left. Qualifying for the round of 16 is massive for them and keeps their season alive so it makes sense they do not want a game in between, especially a derby. For us, I guess we are willing to accept because of the 2nd leg against PAO midweek. I wonder if Lucescu and the club new about this pre kick-off though, and if it would have affected his choices for the starting 11.
  15. Didn't catch the game, but based on the highlights we deserved at least a goal. Pana could have had a 2nd with that Sporar shot from close range that Kotarski saved brillianty. As for Taison-Bakasetas incident, disappointing that we will be missing Taison from either the Olympiako game (if it goes ahead) or the 2nd leg. I am a fan of Bakasetas and what he has done with the Ethniki, but a player losses instant respect in my eyes when they wanna act tough, engage in the push and shove and then the switch flips and they hit the deck like a sack of sh1t. You wanna step to an opposition player fine do it, but stand your ground manga. I know he's not the first and he won't be the last to do it, but not a good look for any player. I am glad the Dutch ref didn't buy his awfully acted performance and he was sent off too. He would be feeling foolish right now.
  16. Had honestly never heard of this kid until a few weeks ago. 22 year old right-back, born and raised in Athens but he never played professional football in Greece. Instead he moved to Italy's regional leagues at 18 and has since worked his way up the divisions until he was playing Serie B for 2 seasons. His performances caught the eye of Ligue 1 strugglers Lorient, who forked out between 1.5-2.4 million (mixed reports) to snap him up in January. Since moving last month he has played in 3 games, scoring in his 2nd game (a 2-1 win) and assisting over the weekend (a 2-0 win). They are 2 wins and a draw in his three appearances, doubling their win tally in the space of 2 weeks and moving off the bottom of the table. It looks like he has been playing as a right-wing back since moving, as part of a back 5. This kids story is pretty incredible, he has risen from nowhere really doing it the hard way to now be playing in one of Europe's big 5 leagues. Not sure how far he can go and if he is Ethniki calibre atm, but either way his story is pretty cool. Good luck to him and Lorient in their fight for survival! https://www.transfermarkt.com/panos-katseris/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/816308/wettbewerb/FR1/saison/2023
  17. Our biggest game in almost 7 years. Still over a month out but some things to keep an eye on in terms of player availability/form. -Tsimikas returned to the Liverpool bench and was subbed on to a play the last few moments on the weekend. He is fit again which is good news. -Chatzidiakos, since Christmas has only played 45 minutes for Cagliari in Serie A. He last had a full 90 on the 2nd of Jan, in a 4-1 cup defeat to AC Milan. As one of the prefered CB's it is a concern. He was hurt in training over the weekend, not sure on prognosis at this stage but assuming its minor Poyet will have to a decision to make if we get to this game and he's still riding the bench. -Vlachodimos: Nottingham Forest brought in another keeper, so he's effectively been relegated to 3rd choice. New keeper (Belgian Metz Sels) hasn't been setting the world on fire, which hopefully means Vlacho will get another shot at some stage. He hasn't played a Premier League game since early December and last played all-together in the FA Cup almost a month ago. Again Poyet will have another decision to make if he continues to not play come March. -Baldock has been injured the last month or so, I believe he is expected to be fit for this game. If fit he is a starter for Sheffield United, so if his body is right he will come with some game time under his belt. -Kourbelis was loaned to another Turkish club (Karagumruk) in January, and was injured after one game. He returned over the weekend and played some mins of the bench. Hopefully he continues to play over the next 5 weeks and is in some good form come the 21st of March.
  18. Take a point considering for large portions of the game AEK was the better team. As Dutch says, we do not match-up well at all with them and they seem to have our number. Lucescu has one win in 7 games against Almeyda. Lucescu will have to navigate the 2 playoff games against them and find a way to at least get one win from those games. Not being able to start Konstantelias hurt us, he would've been able to break through their press and create more. Either way the subs did help, and we improved throughout the 2nd half. We stay top for now but we have a big week coming up. Bring it on.
  19. Add to our average record, they have been greatly improved since changing managers and are making a run for the top six (loss to Asteras last weekend hurt them). They've taken points off Olympiakos and PAO, as well as beating the latter in the cup last week. It will be tough, as always in a game like this an early goal is super important. You imagine Atromitos will park the bus, so with that in mind this is a game where Konstantelias needs to start over Murg. Get all our attacking power on the pitch from kick-off to break them down.
  20. For me, Murg staying is predicated on Lucescu staying. Lucescu has worked out how to use him and has him playing the best football he ever has for us. I don't think another coach would get the same output from him. Given all the noise is that Lucescu has agreed to an extension and it is merely a formality in actually signing the paperwork, I'd be happy if the club offers him a 2 year deal. With an option for another year. As for Taison, he is having a great season and has been superb for the year he's been here. Clearly he deserves another contract with us, the issue is commiting a 2-year deal (as he reportedly wants) to a 36 year old is just a no-go. 1 year + one more if he meets some performance bonuses seems the most logical offer. Hopefully they find a compromise and he stays on because he is a very good player and is fantastic to watch.
  21. Much tougher opponent for him next up, he does own a 3-1 H2H record over Fritz. They played at the Australian Open back in 2022, with Tsitsipas prevailing in a 5 set epic.
  22. Don't be embarrassed beautiful boy, it's being widely reported that we are into him. It does seem tough to get done but no doubt we are interested in him and there has been contact between the 2 parties. I read the only way it gets done is if he becomes a free agent, which seems possible given Wolves want him gone due to a brawl with a coach and teammate which old Jonny had.
  23. Seems like Bakasetas is on the verge of returning to Greece and joining Panathinaikos. https://www.sport24.gr/football/panathinaikos-eskase-metagrafiki-vomva-provarei-ta-prasina-o-mpakasetas.10250968.html
  24. After a tough start, Tsitisipas overcomes the Belgian qualifier 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. Next up he'll face an Australian, the winner of the Thompson-Vukic match-up.
  25. No more drinking pash! The reason we are a round ahead is because the first legs of the Aris-AEK and PAO-Olympiacos ties were postponed at the request of the police because that same day Erdogan was visiting Athens.
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