Five years after its last appearance in European competition, OFI returns to the European qualifying round—and in a match of particular significance. The Cretan team hosts CSKA Sofia at Pankritio Stadium (9:00 p.m.), aiming to take the first step toward qualifying for the Europa League group stage.
The last time Heraklion competed in Europe was during the 2020–21 season, when they participated in the Europa League qualifiers, but were eliminated by Apollon at that time. This year’s return, however, is a completely different story. As the Greek Cup champion, OFI has secured a spot in the League Phase of a European competition. If they overcome CSKA, they will advance to the Europa League; if they are eliminated, they are guaranteed a spot in the Conference League.
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Tickets for both Real Madrid and OFI are sold out at Allwyn Arena
AEK: Nikolić’s Solutions for OFI
Christos Kontis’s team heads into this big match with morale sky-high. Although they suffered four straight losses in their preseason friendlies, they proved in their first official game of the season that they’re ready for the tough challenges ahead. Against AEK in the Super Cup final, OFI staged a comeback before conceding the equalizer in stoppage time. Even so, they won the title in a penalty shootout and lifted yet another trophy following the Cup victory.
The performance in that match boosted optimism in Crete. OFI has retained the core of last year’s team, has made quality additions, and looks capable of being even more competitive, with their… appetite for success truly whetted after consecutive trophies.
Facing them, however, is a team that has already made a strong impression in this year’s European campaign. CSKA Sofia started in the first qualifying round, first eliminating Derry, before pulling off two impressive upsets against Qarabağ and Maccabi Tel Aviv. In fact, they were considered the underdogs in both of those last two matchups, but they managed to show character and keep their run going.
The Bulgarian team is also in good form, having already played five league games, with a record of four wins and one draw. On Sunday, in fact, they crushed Botev Vratsa 5-0, having previously rotated their lineup and rested several key players in preparation for the European match.
In team news, Christos Kontis has no major issues. Nikos Marinakis continues his recovery and is not on the European roster, while Borja González has recovered from his injury and is available to the coach. The starting lineup is expected to bear a strong resemblance to the one that faced AEK. As for CSKA, the only significant absence is that of winger Alejandro Piedraita, who is injured.
The Pankritio Stadium is expected to be packed for a night that marks OFI’s return to Europe. Crete is once again living in the European rhythm, and the Greek Cup champion is called upon to show that its run this season can continue beyond national borders.
Probable Starting Lineups:
OFI (Christos Kontis): Christogeorgos, Sielis, Pougouras, Kostoulas, Athanasiou, Bouhalakis, Androutsos, Apostolakis, Aitor, Fountas, Nous
CSKA Sofia (Hristo Yanev): Lapukhov, Pastor, Ivanov, Rodríguez, Yordanov, Gbamin, Jordão, Senal, Embong, Pittas, Godoy
Refereeing crew:
- Referee: Srđan Jovanović (Serbia)
- First Assistant Referee: Uroš Stojković (Serbia)
- Second Assistant Referee: Filos Simović (Serbia)
- Fourth Official: Novak Simović (Serbia)
- VAR: Momčilo Marković (Serbia)
- AVAR: Jelena Cvetković (Serbia)
*photo source: KYPE
