One of the most intriguing matchups of Matchday 5 of the Stoiximan Super League takes place in Nikaia, where Kalamata hosts Panathinaikos (7:30 p.m.).
The home team has been showing promise, playing good soccer, and just last matchday earned their first three points in the league. Meanwhile, the visitors are the most consistent team in the league and the only one with a perfect record, having won all four of their matches.
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Kalamata is a team with offensive strengths but also defensive weaknesses, as they have conceded goals in all their matches so far, both in the league and in the Cup. Last weekend, they came from behind to defeat Volos 3-1, bringing their total to 4 points, while midweek they drew 1-1 at home against AEL in the Cup.
Panagiotis Christofileas faces two significant absences on offense; Vargas has been out of the lineup for several weeks, while Sigurdsson and midfielder Kareaso. For various reasons, neither of them is on the roster. Here is the full roster, to which Kurminovski has returned: .
Panathinaikos, for its part, sits alone at the top of the league, having won all four of its matches. They recently defeated Kifisia 2-0 on the road for their second win in two Cup matches, having previously defeated Panetolikos 3-0. This is a team that scores and creates chances with remarkable ease, and has improved significantly defensively since the Conference League qualifiers, conceding very few chances and goals.
They’re looking to head into the break with a 5-0 record and peace of mind, though Jacob Nistrup won’t be able to count on the services of his top scorer, the injured Vicente Taborda. Cirivella has returned to the roster, which also includes Salah-Eddin. The full roster is as follows: Peña, Kotsaris, Chaves, Calabria, Kyriakopoulos, Salah-Eddin, Tsapras, De Vrij, Van Drongelen, Palmer-Brown, Tsiriveya, Kamara, Louza, Kontouris, Kanguwa, Ounai, Jagiusic, Pelistri, Adino, Garcia, Tetei, Desers, and Rastonder.
Possible starting lineups:
Kalamata (Panagiotis Christofileas): Gelios – Kaloutsikidis, Stroungis, Rodrigues, Alonso – Diarra, Pinheiro, Cataldi – Hamza, Bolivar, Moreira.
Panathinaikos (Jacob Nystrup): Peña – Calabria, De Vrij, Van Drogelen, Kyriakopoulos – Kamara, Kangwa – Levi, Ounai, Antino – Tetei.
*photo source: KYPE
