Xanthi hosts Panathinaikos
The 13th round of the Super League starts today with three games, as attention focuses on Panathinaikos’s visit to Xanthi. Panathinaikos will have defender Loukas Vintra moving from the center to the right field due to injuries sustained by Michael Nilsson, Gabriel and Bryce Moon. Coach Henk ten Cate has also left out Andreas Ivanschitz and Rodrigo Souza, although they are both healthy and fit to play. Reports suggest they may have fallen out of favor, although there is also a chance the Dutch manager is saving them for next Tuesday’s crucial Champions League match against Anorthosis. Ten Cate is also likely to rest Giorgos Karagounis and replace him with young midfielder Sotiris Ninis. Xanthi coach Giorgos Paraschos will have all his players available for selection, as he wants to maintain his club’s unbeaten record. It presently sits in third place on the table. The match starts at 7 p.m. In today’s other games: OFI meets Aris and Panserraikos plays Ergotelis, both kicking off at 4.45 p.m. OFI will be without its goalkeeper Arkadiusz Malarz and midfielder Stelios Sfakianakis. Tomorrow at 3 p.m. Iraklis, with new manager Makis Katsavakis, greets Thrasyvoulos in Thessaloniki, while Panionios will hope it can shake off its internal problems when it clashes with Larissa. At 4.45 p.m., PAOK plays host to Asteras Tripolis in its bid to remain in the chase after leader Olympiakos. The Reds play at home with Levadiakos at 7 p.m., but will be lacking the services of Vassilis Torosidis and Ieroklis Stoltidis, while Darko Kovacevic will be returning to action to replace suspended striker Diogo. Defender Tassos Pantos is doubtful. Levadiakos keeper Srdjan Blazic received the award for Most Valuable Player of the previous round. Alban Bushi and Eduardo Bustos Montoya are doubtful for the Livadia side. An hour later, AEK and Panthrakikos will be the last to play this weekend. Sotiris Kyrgiakos will be fit to play for AEK but Nikos Georgeas is still injured. Olympiakos leads the table with 29 points, above PAOK (25), Xanthi (21) and Panathinaikos (20). Aris and Panthrakikos share fifth spot with 18, while AEK has 17.
