Who will take home this trophy? AEK and OFI face off (8:00 p.m.) at Pankritio Stadium for the Super Cup. The Greek league champions and the Cup winners kick off the season by competing for the first trophy of the season (although it essentially pertains to the previous one).
The “Yellow-and-Blacks” want to build on their success from last season, when they returned to the top of the table, and gain momentum heading into the Champions League playoffs. Enosis played seven friendlies over the summer, posting a record of 5-1-1. They defeated De Graafschap (2-1), Groningen (2-1), Zwolle (3-2), Sint-Truiden (3-0), and Athens Kallithea (4-0); drew 0-0 with Vitesse; and lost only to Samsunspor (2-1).
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“We have to treat this like a celebration; we have to give 100% and have a little bit of luck to win the title. It doesn’t feel like a dress rehearsal; it’s a final, and that’s how we’re approaching it,” the Serbian coach emphasized.
Building on last season’s historic success, OFI aims to carry that momentum into the new season. The Cretans did not perform well during summer training, failing to secure a single positive result and losing to Goo Ahed Igles (4-0), Breda (3-2), Willem (2-1), and Al-Shamal (3-2), as well as in a friendly against Bershot (2-1). For OFI, this will serve as a dress rehearsal ahead of their match against CSKA Sofia in the Europa League playoffs.
“The motivation is huge. The team is growing because it’s competing for titles. Tomorrow we have another chance to reach a final, to win a trophy. We have to give it our all. The first match of the year isn’t easy, but we’re OFI, we’re playing at home, we’re feeling good, and we’ll fight for the trophy,” emphasized Christos Kontis.
There’s a lot of interest in which young players Marko Nikolić will select for the starting lineup. One of them would be Christakopoulos, had he not suffered a strain, with Alexiou and Kaloskami currently the favorites. For OFI, the situation is clearer, since Kostoulas and Apostolakis would play even without the regulation. No issues have been reported, but it remains to be seen if Marin, who did not play against Athens Kallithea, has any issues.
As for OFI, Borja González is sidelined; he has been training individually for several days, though on Monday he began participating in part of the regular training session.
It should be noted that the stadium will be split between fans of the two teams, with approximately 8,000 supporters from each side.
AEK (Marko Nikolić): Strakosa – Rota, Mukundi, Alexiou, Pilios – Kairinen, Vitalis (Mayer), Kaloskamis, Koita – Varga, Jović
OFI (Christos Kontis): Christogeorgos – Apostolakis, Krizmanic, Kostoulas, Pougouras – Karachalios, Androutsos – Fountas, Nous, Isaka
Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (Athens)
Assistant Referees: Tryfon Petropoulos (Arcadia), Petros Patras (Macedonia)
Fourth Official: Alexandros Katsikogiannis (Epirus)
VAR: Spyros Zampalas (Epirus), AVAR: Meletis Gioumatzidis (Pella)
*photo source: KYPE
