The time has come for OFI’s big rematch.
The Cretans are set to play away on Thursday night (August 27 – 9:00 p.m.) by CSKA Sofia and are looking to finish the job in Bulgaria that they started so well at Pankritio Stadium, where they won by an impressive 3-0.
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Tickets for both Real Madrid and OFI are sold out at Allwyn Arena
AEK: Nikolić’s Solutions for OFI
The result of the first leg has given Christos Kontis’s team a clear advantage; they are now just 90 minutes away from a major qualification to the Europa League group stage. However, everyone in the OFI camp knows that nothing has been decided yet and that absolute focus is required against a CSKA team that will give it their all.
The Bulgarians face an extremely difficult challenge. To get back in the running for qualification, they’ll have to overturn the 3-0 deficit, which is expected to push them to adopt an attacking approach from the very first minutes. CSKA, after all, created chances in the first game as well, but paid dearly for their lack of finishing, unlike OFI, which capitalized almost perfectly on its own opportunities.
Christos Kontis’s team looks ready to face the Bulgarians, as they comfortably and easily defeated Volos 2-0 in their Stoiximan Super League opener.
On the field, OFI will be without Aaron Isseka, who felt discomfort in his adductor muscle, as a result of which he is unable to help Christos Kontis’s team and has been left out of the roster.
The OFI roster in detail: Christogeorgos, Lilo, Katsikas, Nikolaou, Krizmanic, Sielis, Kostoulas, Pougouras, Dickmann, Apostolakis, Athanasiou, Kainourgiakis, Gonzalez, Karachalios, Bouhalakis, Androutsos, Kanellopoulos, Hnaris, Fountas, Romano, Nuss, Aitor, Sitmalidis, and Theodosoulakis.
On the other side, CSKA chose not to play last weekend, postponing their match against Lokomotiv Sofia in order to focus fully on preparing for the rematch. The Bulgarians have already played 12 official matches, while OFI is just getting started in its official campaign, though it has a perfect record so far.
Probable Starting Lineups:
CSKA Sofia (Hristo Yanev): Lapukov, Pereira, Rodrigues, Ivanov, Pastor, Sensi, Gbamin, Embong, Pittas, Gondoi, Itou
OFI (Christos Kontis): Christogeorgos, Kostoulas, Sielis, Pougouras, Apostolakis, Androutsos, Bouhalakis, Athanasiou, Fountas, Nous, Aitor
*photo source: KYPE
