Date: 29/01/2012
Competition: Greek Super League
Match: PAS Giannina vs. Panetolikos
Pick: Draw at Half Time @ 2.01
Stake: 6 Units
Venue: Zosimades, Ioannina
Kick-Off: 13:00 GMT
A crucial match between two teams struggling to avoid relegation. PAS Giannina hasn't won any of their last 11 league matches. As a matter of fact, the last time the team from Epirus celebrated a victory was on the 2nd of October, when they edged Kerkyra 2-1 at home. Ever since that game, they only won a Cup match against lower-division side Diagoras, only to get thrashed in the next round by Asteras Tripolis (1-4) and hit the exit. The arrival of Angelos Anastasiadis as a new coach nearly two months ago was aimed to turn the tide for PAS Giannina. Yet, this wasn't to be. Anastasiadis, a controversial figure, has been arguing with many players and especially the foreigners dislike him. His attempts to unite the team and create a fighting spirit in his camp have failed and this match might be a turning point for him. Striker Ibrahima Bakayoko (16 apps / 6 goals) has appealed to terminate his contract, due to unpaid salaries and although the board is trying to persuade him to stay, it remains unclear whether he will back down on his demands. Leandro Becerra (14 apps / 2 goals) is serving a suspension and his absence will surely be noticed as the Argentinean midfielder is a quality player.
Panetolikos is in a slightly better position, six points clear from their opponents. They have grabbed a single win in the last 10 rounds, when they defeated OFI Crete at home back in December. However the Cretans avenged that, by knocking Panetolikos out of the Cup a few weeks later. During the winter transfer window, the team from Agrinio tried to strengthen the roster. They brought Nigerian striker Benjamin Onwuachi, English defender Javan Vidal and Brazilian midfielder Ricardo Fernandes, while they are close to sign Ivorian winger Kanga Akale (former Auxerre and Lens) who is currently free. Coach Babis Tennes was missing quite a few players during this week due to injuries, yet all of them have followed the team to Ioannina.
If there weren't so many rivalries in PAS Giannina's camp, I would be considering to place a huge bet on the hosts, as this is a game they simply have to win or die trying. Time is not on their side and options are running out. On the other hand, Panetolikos would definitely be happy even if they manage to get a draw, therefore I am expecting a tight match here. Given the fact that PAS Giannina has drawn 7 out of their 8 home matches at the end of half time, I will opt for the Draw at Half Time at odds around 2.00
H2H STATS
18/10/2010 PAS Giannina vs. Panetolikos: 3-0 (1)
Date: 04/02/2012
Competition: English Premie League
Match: West Bromwich vs. Swansea
Pick: Draw at Half Time @ 2.10
Stake: 5 Units
Venue: The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
Kick-Off: 15:00 GMT
Only one point separates the two teams, who are currently keeping away from the danger zone. West Bromwich Albion is looking forward to taking revenge for the 3-0 beating at Swansea in the beginning of the season, while the Swans would definitely fancy completing a league double over the Baggies. That's something they haven't achieved in the past and it isn't so likely to happen if we consider their woeful run on the road. On the other hand of course, the Hawthorns hasn't been much of a fortress this season and Roy Hodgson's men have gathered more points on the road than they did at home. West Brom earned a precious point at Fulham on Wednesday, thanks to a late goal from Somen Tchoyi. Striker Shane Long (19 apps / 5 goals) is set to return and midfielder Paul Scharner (17 apps / 2 goals) is struggling to be ready on time. There are doubts over the fitness of Jerome Thomas (MF, 20 apps / 1 goal) and Steven Reid (DF, 18 apps / 1 goal), while new signings Riam Ridgewell (DF from Birmingham) and Keith Andrews (MF from Blackburn) are ready to make their debuts. WBA boss will miss again midfielder Chris Brunt (19 apps / 1 goal) and Zoltan Gera (3 apps / 0 goals).
Lady Luck turned her back on the Swans on Tuesday, as a stoppage-time own goal denied them a historic victory over Chelsea. Swansea lost just one of their last six league matches, during which they faced Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham. Manager Brendan Rodgers doesn't have any fresh concerns ahead of the visit to the Hawthorns and he is considering to include new signing Curtis Obeng (DF from Wrexham) to the squad. The visitors must sort things out at the back if they want to take a positive result, since they have conceded 21 out of the 28 goals in the Premier League this season away from home.
It really looks like a balanced encounter, as WBA has the home advantage while Swansea appears to be in better form at the moment. The fact that West Bromwich have drawn 8 out of their 11 home games at half-time encourages me to pick the Draw at HT, which is priced generously.
H2H STATS
20/10/2009 West Bromwich vs. Swansea: 0-1 (2)
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Date: 04/02/2012
Competition: Greek Super League
Match: Ergotelis vs. OFI
Pick: Ergotelis (-0.25) @ 2.09
Stake: 8 Units
Venue: Pagkritio Stadio, Heraklion
Kick-Off: 15:15 GMT
The Cretan derby takes place this weekend, as Ergotelis will host their city-rivals OFI. Although we are talking about a local derby, these two clubs have friendly relations. Therefore don't be mislead about a fierce rivalry with tension and violence between the fans. It's more about pride and who will claim to be the "Boss of the Island" for the next couple of days. OFI defeated Ergotelis in the match of the first round, earning their first win of the season. Now Ergotelis will try to make evens, coming from a difficult fixture which brought them against Olympiakos, AEK and PAOK. The hosts didn't play bad at Karaiskakis Stadium last week, but they surrendered to Olympiakos 3-0 since they were reduced to nine men. Mario Hieblinger (DF, 16 apps / 0 goals) and Andreas Bouchalakis (MF, 2 apps / 0 goals), who were shown the red card, will serve a suspension. Coach Nikos Karageorgiou is sweating over the defensive problems, because besides Hieblinger he will miss Giorgi Shashiashvili (DF, 16 apps / 1 goal) as well. And the problems don't end here; Brazilian midfielder Junior (14 apps / 1 goal) didn't recover on time and he will join Diego Romano (MF, 8 apps / 2 goals) on the sidelines.
OFI is riding a three-game winning streak, which fired the team to the 6th spot (alongside Xanthi). The departure of Roy Carroll, who joined Olympiakos, dented them a huge blow as the veteran goalkeeper deserved much of the credit for their successful run so far. Nikos Anastopoulos will miss experienced striker Vaggelis Mantzios (13 apps / 5 goals) and defender Boldizsar Bodor (11 apps / 0 goals), who are sidelined with injuries. The more serious concerns that OFI is facing are financial, as the Club has to raise nearly 300.000 EUR by the end of next month in order to avoid a possible point deduction. The reason is that many players (most of them former) have appealed for unpaid wages and right now it's not easy to find the money which are due to be paid.
If there is one team that is desparate to take the win here, that's Ergotelis. Under normal circumstances, I would dare to back the home win, but there are quite a few important players missing for the hosts. That forces me to take a more conservative approach and pick the (-0.25) Asian Handicap, which looks like a pretty safe bet to my eyes.
H2H STATS
14/02/2008 Ergotelis vs. OFI: 1-3 (2)
26/01/2008 Ergotelis vs. OFI: 1-1 (X)
23/09/2006 Ergotelis vs. OFI: 2-0 (1)
03/04/2005 Ergotelis vs. OFI: 0-1 (2)
Date: 04/02/2012
Competition: Greek Super League
Match: Levadiakos vs. Panathinaikos
Pick: Draw at Half Time @ 2.10
Stake: 6 Units
Venue: Municipal Stadium, Levadia
Kick-Off: 17:30 GMT
Panathinaikos aims to extend their lead to +8 at the top of the Greek Super League tonight and pile the pressure on Olympiakos who travels to Salonica for a clash with PAOK. Jesualdo Ferreira has cautioned his players not to underestimate the opposition, as he is expecting them to put up a fierce fight in a field which is not in the best condition due to the bad weather conditions lately. Reports are suggesting that some parts of the stadium look more of a mud pit instead of football field. And this is a good reason that the Portuguese coach is counting to set-pieces and he will field tall players to his line-up. Argentinean forward Sebastian Leto (17 apps / 15 goals) is struggling with an injury and he will not play today. That's a major blow for the Greens, as Leto is enjoying the best times of his career so far, bagging goals and leading the team to success. French defender Jean-Alain Boumsong (13 apps / 3 goals) is also out, along with Giorgos Karagounis (MF, 10 apps / 0 goals), Gergely Rudolf (FW, 5 apps / 0 goals) and Sotiris Ninis (MF, 1 app / 0 goals). Defender Cedric Cante (8 apps / 0 goals) is playing with the national team of Mali at the AFC.
Levadiakos is struggling to avoid relegation and any points are extremely valuable to their cause. Giorgos Paraschos' team hasn't won any of their last 7 matches, as a matter of fact they lost 6 of them and earned a draw against Aris at home. Due to the snowfall in the past days, the hosts didn't have the chance to train properly and the only good news are that there aren't any fresh concerns besides the already known injury-hit Machairas (9 apps / 0 goals), Papadopoulos (FW, 3 apps / 0 goals) and Ko
as (MF, 1 app / 0 goals).I share the view of Panathinaikos' coach that this match is likely to be decided by a single goal. Levadiakos will mainly try to build a defensive wall and attempt to make their opponents nervous as time goes by. Given the bad condition of the pitch, I believe that there won't be too many chances and that the players will eventually get tired and some of them exhausted. A goalless draw at half time is a quite possible scenario to my eyes and the odds are much better than the away win at full time.
H2H STATS
08/11/2009 Levadiakos vs. Panathinaikos: 0-2 (2)
01/02/2009 Levadiakos vs. Panathinaikos: 1-2 (2)
04/11/2007 Levadiakos vs. Panathinaikos: 0-4 (2)
18/09/2005 Levadiakos vs. Panathinaikos: 0-0 (X)
Date: 05/02/2012
Competition: Greek Super League
Match: PAOK vs. Olympiakos
Pick: Over 2.5 goals @ 2.40
Stake: 5 Units
Venue: Toumba, Thessaloniki
Kick-Off: 17:30 GMT
The match of the weekend in the Greek Super League is the clash between PAOK and Olympiakos. Two sides with fierce rivalry separating them, with the fans of PAOK hating the guts of their rivals. The atmosphere at Toumba Stadium is always electrified when PAOK hosts Olympiakos, as Dikefalos tou Vorra (Double-headed Eagle of the North) is trying to question the superiority of the Reds and deliver a blow in their morale. Laszlo Boloni's side is currently running a ten-game undefeated streak, with the last defeat dated three months ago. Eight points separate the two teams and the hosts will be looking to close the gap between them. PAOK started the season with huge expectations, but an injury crisis back in October as well as the financial problems lately forced them to rearrange their plans. During the winter transfer window, they sold their most valuable player, attacking midfielder Vierinha, to Wolfsburg and Chilean defender Pablo Contreras to Colo-Colo. Coach Boloni was asked to promote young Greek players to the squad and he agreed to stay despite rumours that he was unsettled at Salonica. A new star is shining nowadays at PAOK: 24-year-old striker Stefanos Athanasiadis (15 apps / 8 goals) has been wreaking havoc to the opponents' defensive lines and he is becoming a hero for the fans. New signing, striker Frederic Nimani, who is the latest addition to the team, has been included in the squad for tonight's match, however he is expected to sit on the bench.
Yesterday's shocking defeat of Panathinaikos at the hands of relegation-threatened Levadiakos served as morale booster for Olympiakos, who now have the chance to pile the pressure on the Greens, if they manage to escape Toumpa with the three points in their bags. A victory tonight will push them within a two-point reach from their arch-rivals. This is obviously an extra motivation for the Piraeus side. Ernesto Valverde is happy to have all his weapons available in his arsenal for the first time ever since the beginning of the season. During the latest transfer-window, Olympiakos brought winger Colin Kazim-Richards from Galatasaray and goalkeeper Roy Carroll from OFI Crete. Kazim is expected to be handed a debut early-on, while Carroll will most likely stay on the bench.
Odds for the away win have been slashed in the last 24 hours, mainly because of Panathinaikos' defeat, which gives Olympiakos a golden opportunity to take advantage and set the run for the title on fire. Without doubt, the Reds have a huge firepower available for this match. But I cannot rule out PAOK's chances either. I believe that the prices for the Over 2.5 goals represent a great value and that's my call.
Possible line-ups:
PAOK: Glykos - Stafylidis, Malezas, Katsikas, Lino - Lazar, Garcia, Fotakis - Georgiadis, Salpingidis, Athanasiadis.
OLYMPIAKOS: Megyeri - Torosidis, Mellberg, Papadopoulos, Marcano - Maniatis, Orbaiz, Ibagaza - Kazim, Mirallas, Djebbour.
H2H STATS
13/03/2011 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 2-1 (1)
09/05/2010 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-0 (1)
20/09/2009 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-2 (2)
08/03/2009 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 0-0 (X)
23/02/2008 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-1 (X)
21/01/2007 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 2-3 (2)
26/02/2006 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-2 (2)
06/03/2005 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-1 (X)
24/08/2003 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 0-2 (2)
26/10/2002 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-1 (X)
14/10/2001 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 1-1 (X)
27/11/2000 PAOK vs. Olympiakos: 2-4 (2)
