The break for national teams comes at a rather good time for AEK, which expended a lot of energy in its matches across three competitions over the past few weeks.
Recognizing his players’ need to recharge, Marko Nikolić gave them time off from Monday through Thursday, with training set to resume on Friday, while a friendly match against AEL Limassol will take place on Monday to get the team back into competitive rhythm ahead of next Saturday’s match in Nice against Kalamata.
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Anorthosis: Itzaki has a lot of work to do during the break
During the break, until the middle of next week, the Serbian coach will be without eleven international players in Spata: Rota (Men’s National Team), Pilios (Albania), Mayer (Croatia), Varga, Vitalis (Hungary), Jović (Serbia), Koita (Mauritania), Marin (Romania), Kairinen (Finland), Kaloskamis, and Alexiou (U-21 National Team) will not be able to train with the team.
After the break, the rotation will be expanded to help the team cope with the many difficult matches it has scheduled through the end of 2026. Strakosa, who has now recovered from his injury, will certainly be part of the mix, while players such as Ariaga, Kairinen (certainly one of the two—or even both—will play against Kalamata due to Marin’s suspension), and Koutesa. It’s possible we’ll see others as well, and not just in the Cup match against Asteras Tripolis (Dec. 2).
At the same time, it’s considered a given that AEK will seek to strengthen its squad during the winter transfer window. All signs point to the club correcting the summer mistake of failing to sign a right back, while there may also be some additional moves in midfield—and possibly in central defense as well.
*photo source: AP
