In one of the most exciting matches of the season so far, Aris and OFI face off in Thessaloniki for the second matchday of the Stoiximan Super League (7:30 p.m.). Both teams have already celebrated victories in their season openers and are looking to continue on the same path in a matchup that is highly anticipated.
Aris is coming off a game they had to fight for right up until the final minute. Although they found themselves trailing twice against Kalamata in Tripoli, they didn’t give up and pulled off an impressive comeback. Fabbiano was the hero of the final moments, as his two goals in the closing minutes sealed the 3-2 victory and gave the Thessaloniki side their first three points.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
For Michalis Grigoriou, in fact, the situation is now looking better in terms of available players. Garcia, Richards, Kouame, Kantevere, Sutalo, and Hongla have resumed regular training, adding depth to the squad ahead of this challenging match.
They’ll face an OFI team that’s off to a dream start to the new season. The Cretans didn’t stop at just a positive result in their season opener; they’ve already celebrated winning the Superbet Super Cup against AEK and a historic European qualification.
In the league, Christos Kontis’s team got off to a strong start, defeating Volos 2-0. The game was essentially decided early on, as Siampanis’s own goal in the 6th minute and Nous’s goal in the 33rd minute laid the groundwork for a relatively comfortable victory.
The greatest achievement, however, came in Europe. OFI secured its place in the Europa League group stage by eliminating CSKA Sofia with two wins. The 3-0 win in the first leg in Heraklion was followed by a 2-0 victory in Bulgaria, confirming the team’s excellent form.
Now, the challenge for the “black-and-whites” is to rise to the occasion amid the demanding schedule that has been set. Back-to-back matches in Greece and Europe have increased the physical strain, and Christos Kontis must manage his roster wisely. Changes to the starting lineup are therefore quite likely. Nikos Marinakis remains sidelined as he continues his rehabilitation. Kostoulas, Sielis, and Iséka, who are dealing with injuries, are on the roster. Kenan Kontro, whose inclusion was announced on Saturday morning, is also in the lineup.
The OFI roster: Christogeorgos, Lilo, Katsikas, Nikolaou, Krizmanic, Sielis, Kostoulas, Pougouras, Dikman, Apostolakis, Athanasiou, Kainourgiakis, González, Karachalios, Bouhalakis, Androutsos, Kanellopoulos, Fountas, Romano, Nous, Aitor, Sitmalidis, Isaka, Theodosoulakis, Kontros.
Possible starting lineups:
Aris (Grigoriou): Velio – Fantiga, Fabiano, Jensen, Richards – Racic, Dele-Basiru – Palasios, Manu Garcia, Gare – Rafa Mir.
OFI (Kontis): Christogeorgos – Nikolaou, Sielis, Kostoulas – Athanasiou, Kanellopoulos, Bouhalakis, Dikman – Nous, Aitor, Theodosoulakis.
Referee: Papapetrou
; Assistant Referees: Petropoulos, Psyllos
; Fourth Official: Fitsas
; VAR: Koukoulis, Poulikidis
*Photo source: KYPE
