Olympiakos is poised to win volleyball title

Piraeus team favored over Iraklis

Olympiakos is the strong favorite to defeat Iraklis tonight and sweep the volleyball championship play-off finals. However, Iraklis will not go down without a fight, as it showed in the previous two games. The photo is from the second game, played in Thessaloniki, which Olympiakos won, 3-1.

Just a step away from capturing the national volleyball league title, Olympiakos, up 2-0 in the best-of-five final against defending champion Iraklis, will be striving for the one remaining victory needed to clinch the series, tonight, at its home ground in Glyfada.

Olympiakos opened the series with a 3-2 win at home, and consolidated its bid for the title with an impressive 3-1 away triumph in Thessaloniki on Saturday. Fearing that their team’s clear advantage could slacken player attitudes, officials at Olympiakos are taking precautions. During yesterday’s training session, players were asked to intensify their focus on tonight’s match. They were also warned not to underestimate the capabilities of their fellow finalist.

A positive development for Olympiakos was the apparent recovery from injury of Plamen Konstantinov, who followed yesterday’s training program without difficulty.

Olympiakos players can expect plenty of moral support from fans tonight. Match tickets have sold out. Victory would hand Olympiakos its 22nd league title in the club’s history.

Iraklis is faced with the uphill task of requiring three consecutive victories, two of them away, to successfully defend its title.

“As things have turned out, the situation is difficult for us. Of course, hope dies last, and we intend to take this hope to the very end,” Iraklis player Thodoris Bozidis declared. “Olympiakos quickly managed to take a 2-0 lead in the series, and now needs just one win for the title. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to play with our hands down. We’re going to fight for the best we can,” he added.