Volos - Panathinaikos

Greek - Superleague, Championship Round, Round 6

Panathinaikos survived the match at "Toumba" and emerged triumphant, defeating PAOK 2-1. This was the third derby in a row, with an equal number of victories, and they are now fully in the race for the championship! Sporar missed two great opportunities (11', 48'), and goalkeeper Brignoli was pivotal with an intervention at 15'. Bernard scored the opening goal (38'), and Ioannidis won and duly executed the penalty for 2-1 in stoppage time (90+1'), just five minutes after conceding the equalizer (85'). Panathinaikos also had luck on their side, with the home team hitting the crossbar (43') and a penalty being awarded to them shortly after their own, but it was overturned for a marginal offside that preceded it. Coach Jovanovic aptly described his team as "hardened"; this was the sixth match of the season in which they scored in the final, with four of those goals giving them victory, and two others helping them avoid defeat against Olympiakos and OFI. Their next challenge is the home derby against AEK, who are also at the top of the table.

In racing news, Panathinaikos is not facing any problems, and everyone available is on the mission. Some changes are likely to be made to the starting eleven for the derby against AEK. Captain-midfielder Kourbelis is at the card limit and will likely be protected. Kotsiras (back) and Mancini (winger) have a good chance of being in the starting lineup, and Kleinheisler (middle) is also vying for a place. The only absentees are the long-term Ganea (back), Trouillet (midfielder), and Aitor (winger). Volos seems to have given up on their spirit. The 4-point difference from Mars cannot be covered, and they will have to settle for 6th place. Volos NFC roster does not hold up well in close matches, and it will be difficult for them to strongly resist Panathinaikos' attack.