The moment of truth has arrived for Panathinaikos!
The “Clover” faces Hradec Králové tonight (8:00 p.m.) at the “Malsovicka Arena,” in the Conference League playoff rematch, with the sole goal of advancing to the League Phase of the competition.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The 2-2 draw in the first leg at OAKA left everything up in the air. Panathinaikos held a significant lead, going up 2-0 on two goals by Tetei, but Hradec did not give up and, with two goals late in the game, tied the match.
Now, the “Greens” know there’s no room for complacency. A win in the Czech Republic is enough to send them to the League Phase, while a draw after 90 minutes will lead to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.
Hradec is expected to play more aggressively in front of its home crowd, having demonstrated that it possesses speed and can be dangerous on the counterattack. After all, the Czechs have already achieved positive results at home against strong opponents and are vying for a spot in the group stage of a European competition for the first time in their history.
For his part, Jacob Nistrup knows very well what needs to change. The Danish coach emphasized the need for Panathinaikos not to play passively, especially in the final minutes, as happened in the first game. “If we can play at our level for the entire game, we can pull this off,” he emphasized.
On the roster front, Calabria is returning and provides a key solution on defense, while Tsapras, Christiansen, Ingason, and Pantelidis remain sidelined. On the other hand, Touba, who is on his way out, has been left off the roster.
The full roster is as follows: Peña, Chávez, Kotsaris, Calabria, Kyriakopoulos, Katris, De Vrij, Van Drongelen, Palmer-Brown, Lavdas, Kamara, Tsiriveya, Kontouris, Biniaris, Taborda, Jagiusic, Pelistri, Antino, Kyriopoulos, Garcia, Tetei, Rastonder, Desers.
Possible starting lineups:
Hradec Králové (David Horays): Zandrazil, Uhrinczat, Cichak, Cech, Ludwiczek, Darida, Danczak, Horak, Van Buren, Umar, Michalik
Panathinaikos (Jacob Nystrup): Peña, Katris, De Vrij, Van Drongelen, Kyriakopoulos, Kamara, Tsiriveya, Pelistri, Antino, Levi Garcia, Tetei
Referee team:
- Referee: Tobias Stegemann (Germany)
- Assistant referees: Christoph Gins, Marco Achmiller
- VAR: Katrin Rafalski
*photo source: pao.gr
