A very important victory for Olympiacos in many ways

Olympiakos really wanted to win against PAS Giannina in Karaiskakis and played it better than last time. The Piraeus side weren’t thrilled with their performance, but their players ignited the momentum in the first half, creating chances and could have ‘secured’ the three points early had Androutsos, Embila and Masouras achieved better results.

To see how important Olympiacos’ victory was, both punctually and psychologically, it suffices to imagine what the situation would be like today at Renti’s training center if the red-whites had turned for the fourth time in a row (and , in fact against half due to the absence of PAS Giannina) and the gap with PAOK in the championship has been reduced in view of Sunday’s game (30/1) in Toumba.

So the win was imperative for Olympiacos and at the end of the day it was what they mostly kept in the Piraeus team. But not only. Also on the red-whites’ positive side were:

Firstly, the fact that Olympiacos continues undefeated in the league.

Secondly, that the difference of +9 points to the second PAOK in the Super League Interwetten was maintained, especially with regard to the derby in Toumba.

Third, that the Piraeus side kept their home untouchable for the sixth consecutive season in the league.

Fourth, that Masouras has returned to the gates after two and a half months and has put in a good performance.

Fifth, that the Ticino scored after a month and that his psyche was stimulated.

Sixth, that Mandy Kamara has been improved compared to previous games. and

Seventh, the good presence of Papadopoulos who, when asked, does his best and is a role model for the youngest players.

The reaction of the red and white and the victory does not mean that all problems are solved. Martins has a lot of things to rectify, but trying to do that with Olympiako’s victory and unfortunate results otherwise is something else. The pressure on Olympiacos is high and both the Portuguese coach and players know it well.

What the Piraeus side need at the moment are the wins and they want two of them during the week, first against Panetolikos in Karaiskakis to qualify for the Cup semifinals and then against PAOK in Thessaloniki.

This is a very important week for Olympiakos as not only will it keep him on all three of his goals but it may also allow him to maintain or even increase the safe distance from his pursuers. The Red-Whites with a win in Toumba will shoot the difference to +12 from PAOK and hold at least +10 from AEK. Even with a tie, the Piraeus team will be fine as they will remain +9 from the North’s biceps. On the contrary, if it loses, the difference drops to +6, giving rights to its opponents.

The positive for Martins is that he will be available for the game with PAOK Vatslik and Papastathopoulos who were injured with PAS Giannina, Manolas and Androutsos but they don’t have to worry while Bouhalakis is also trying to win the fight with the Time.

For now, Olympiacos will focus on the second leg with the trained Panaitolikos in Neo Faliro, where Martins is ready to make the change again, using several substitutes and players from the Red-Whites’ second team, as in the first game. So it’s up to them to prove to the Portuguese coach that they can do it by guiding Olympiakos to victory qualification in the semi-final stage of the cup.