Aris - AEK
Greece - Super League, Championship round, Round 9
Aris secured their spot in the last European ticket by winning 4-2 against Volos with Palma as the great protagonist. The quality midfielder from Honduras scored two goals at the beginning (3') and at the end (44' penalty) of the first half, while Gray (56') scored a very nice goal from his "magical" assist in between Volos' two goals (50', 59'). Aris gained a numerical advantage in the 64th minute, which essentially put an early end to the match, and Mateo Garcia (74th minute) sealed the final score. They have achieved their goal of exiting Europe, which they set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season. The team is now planning for the new season, with candidate targets already being considered. They will face Panathinaikos in the last match at Leoforos after AEK.
In other news, midfielder Palma (infection) and stopper Fabiano (calf trouble) were doubtful before the match, but only the latter was included in the squad, and his participation in the starting line-up is uncertain. Forward Kamara was examined and returned, but Gray's good performance against Volos may see him retained. The two positions at the ends are claimed by Mateo Garcia, Iturbe, and Camacho, with the first two being favorites. Brambets (stopper) and Manu Garcia (midfielder) are permanently out.
On the other hand, AEK drew 0-0 with Olympiakos and missed a big opportunity to get ahead of Panathinaikos and define their fate in the championship. The team was affected by the issue with viruses and struggled against the "tight" tactics of the opponent. Despite their dominant statistics (66% possession, 15-3 in the finals), they could have lost the match in the opportunities of the "red and whites" (21', 57' double, 88') or in the disallowed goal for being centimeters offside by the scorer Bakabou (69'). Levia Garcia was fateful, being in all the big moments (22', 39', 87', 90+6'), but he was either defeated or didn't make the right decision. They now need a new win in the last two matches to be crowned champion.
In competition news, coach Almeida can count on all available players, and the issue with viruses has settled down. The full-back Rota returns to the team (and logically also to the 11) after being left out of the previous match due to a blow to the head from the match with Panathinaikos. The position of Pinedas is questionable, which will also determine the starting 11. Except for Sidibe (unprepared) and Araujo (leader), all the players are available. In the last 10 matches of the Aris team, there have been three or more goals in nine of them.