PAS Giannina – Kifisia

Greece - Super League, Round 1

PAS Ioannina:
Following their 9th place finish in last year's Super League and a relatively comfortable stay, Thanasis Staikos has retained his position as the coach of PAS Ioannina for a second year, with the aim of maintaining a similar performance. The concern is for the team to secure more than the 7 victories they achieved in the 2022/23 season and to concede fewer than 50 goals, addressing their defensive weaknesses from the previous championship. Thoughtful transfers were conducted, with the recent addition of Tsaousis (A), who joined on loan from PAOK. Kleiman (T), hailing from Volos, replaced Tsintotas (T), who moved to Atromitos. Meanwhile, Garo (ME) and Begala (M) are promising acquisitions. Departures included players such as Pelios (A) from AEK, Moreira (ME) from AE Limassol, and Nini (ME) from Kifisia. In the friendly matches, PAS Ioannina displayed an average performance, with a notable issue in scoring. In their best showings, they managed draws against Krakow (0-0) and Panserraikos (1-1), while they were defeated 2-1 by Panaitolikos. The latter will be their opponent for the 2nd matchday of the Super League in Agrinio.

Competition News: Pamlidis (ME) and Rosero (E), both recently recovering from injuries, have been included in Coach Staikos' team. Similarly, newcomers Tsaoushis (A) and Garo (ME) are working on their readiness and might see some playing time. However, several players will be absent from the premiere due to various reasons. Notably, Bilbao (M), Lolis (ME), and the unfortunate Kyrkos (ME), who sustained a metatarsal fracture, will be sidelined for the next 3 months.

Kifissia:
After winning the SL2 Southern Group Championship and securing 20 wins, Kifissia managed to ascend to the top division for the first time in their relatively short history since their establishment in 2012. The architect of this success, Giorgos Petrakis, will not continue on the bench, with the experienced Yiannis Anastasiou (formerly at Panaitolikos until last year) taking over. Given the demands of the higher league, there have been significant changes in the team's potential compared to the previous year. Noteworthy additions include Loumor (A) from Aris, Botia (A) from Al Wehda (formerly Olympiacos), Krisiuma (ME) on loan from Farul, Ozegovic (E) from Volos, Masouras (A) from Mienz, Christianson (T) from Olympiacos, Sakits (A) from Ionikos, Nini (ME) from PAS Ioannina, and Antounes (M) from Ionikos. Among those departing are Talal (ME) to Punjab, Koiroukidis (E) to Levadeiakos, and Mazoulouxis (A) to Chania. The team faces a significant challenge in securing a home for the season, with Kaisariani being considered as a possible solution. The 2nd matchday will see them play against PAOK away.

Competition News: Coach Anastasiou's most pressing issue is addressing the unavailability of Botia (A), who has not yet joined the team. The starting lineup for the 11-player team remains uncertain due to the many new faces and the need to determine the roles for each player in the squad.