With a winner’s mindset and determined to get back on track in Europe. OFI faces Hapoel Be’er Sheva tonight at 10:00 p.m. at the “Rapid Giulești” in Bucharest tonight at 10:00 p.m. for Matchday 4 of the Europa League Group Stage, aiming for a victory that will give them a significant boost in the standings in the battle to advance to the next round.
The Cretans have put their losses to Rennes in France and Leverkusen in Heraklion behind them, focusing exclusively on tonight’s match. The three points they earned in their opener against Hoffenheim aren’t enough to secure their place in the next round, and the match against the Israelis represents an important opportunity to improve their standing in the standings.
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Christos Kontis’s team knows it is facing an opponent it can look in the eye, without, however, underestimating the difficulties of the match. After all, the strong performance they displayed for long stretches of their previous European matches was not matched by corresponding results, as mistakes and a lack of focus at critical moments proved costly.
That was precisely the message from the Greek coach at the press conference, as he urged his players to play without fear, with confidence and a winning mindset, minimizing mistakes, which at this level are not forgiven. Another important factor for OFI is that they are coming off an away victory over Panetolikos in Agrinio, a result that gave them a psychological boost ahead of their European challenge.
On the field, Christos Kontis is not expected to make many changes, with Kostoulas and Sielis likely to start in place of Pougouras and Nikolaou. At the same time, there is a dilemma regarding the attacking line, as the Greek coach must choose between sticking with the trio of Aitor, Nous, and Founta or using Kontros up front.
The good news concerns Aaron Isaka, who has overcome his discomfort, trained normally, and has been included in the roster. On the other hand, Giannis Apostolakis was left out due to a calf injury, while Christogeorgos, Chnaris, Marinakis, Romano, and Lagoudakis remained in Heraklion. Hatzigiannis also traveled to Romania, although he is ineligible to play since he is not on the European roster.
The OFI squad: Lilo, Katsikas, Kalafatis, Sielis, Kostoulas, Pougouras, Nikolaou, Krizmanic, Dikman, Athanasiou, Kainourgiakis, Gonzalez, Karachalios, Bouhalakis, Androutsos, Kanellopoulos, Fountas, Nous, Aitor, Sitmalidis, Isaka, Theodosoulakis, Konтро.
On the other side, Hapoel Be’er Sheva is in excellent form in the Israeli league, having recorded five consecutive wins, two of which came after their heavy European defeat by Union Saint-Gilloise. Ran Kozuch’s team has been particularly effective offensively in its domestic matches, but in Europe they have struggled significantly more, having earned just one point in their first three matches.
Tonight’s game will be played on neutral ground in Romania, due to the current situation in Israel. As a result, Hapoel is playing away from its home court, although this is a situation to which it has now adapted, as it plays its European home games in Bucharest.
However, the Israelis are facing significant problems in midfield. Starting midfielder Eliel Peretz was injured in the match against Union Saint-Gilloise and has missed the last two league games; his availability is considered doubtful. At the same time, the availability of Lucas Ventura—who has missed his team’s last three matches—is also highly doubtful.
Despite the absences, Ran Kozuch appeared prepared for the challenges of the match, noting that he has studied OFI’s European matches and is aware of the Cretans’ offensive quality, urging his players to be especially cautious.
It is worth noting that this will be the first time in OFI’s history that they will face a team from Israel, with the Cretans hoping to mark this milestone with a positive result that will boost their chances of advancing in the Europa League.
Possible starting lineups:
Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Ran Kozuch, 4-2-3-1): Marciano – Mizrahi, Diap, Vitor, Amador – Geosua, Forson – East, Ahmed, Gana – Zlatanovic.
OFI (Christos Kontis, 3-4-3): Lilo – Kostoulas, Sielis, Krizmanic – Dikman, Androutsos, Bouhalakis, Athanasiou – Fountas, Nous, Aitor.
Referee: Edgars Maichevs (Latvia)
Assistant Referees: Martins Svips, Denis Shevchenko (Latvia)
Fourth Official: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs (Latvia)
VAR: Mario Zembets (Croatia)
AVAR: Kristaps Ratnieks (Latvia)
*photo source: OFI Crete F.C.
