Volleyball League Cup: Olympiacos hosts Panathinaikos in the first final

The first final of the Nikos Samaras League Cup will take place on Saturday evening, Olympiakos will host Panathinaikos (April 8, 9:30 p.m., ERT-3 and LIVE on Sportish).

It will be the teams’ fifth meeting of the season after the two championships decided in the tie-break with the home side winning and the two Challenge Cup games made history by the big upset of Olympiakos and the away wins of the guests.

It is the second time in the history of the Nikos Samaras League Cup (the first in the 2019-20 season) that the two teams will meet in a doubles final. And then the first match was played in Renti, with Panathinaikos winning 3-2. Olympiakos won the rematch with equal points and the title was decided in the golden set with 15-13 for Panathinaikos. Two more years (in the 2013-14 and 2016-17 seasons) the two teams were rivals in the competition, with Olympiakos twice eliminating their eternal rival.

Olympiacos come off a difficult week, which began with the cup loss in Kalamata in the final against PAOK, but also the ceremonial qualification for the final against AONS Milos.

European Cup winners Tonšek Stern’s Slovenian told olympiacossfp.gr: “We’re coming out of a difficult month! We played a European final, we won it, we played league semifinals, we played a cup final. A difficult time that needs mental and physical reserves. The defeat in the cup final hit us hit harder, we showed character in the next game and we want to continue like that, starting with tomorrow’s game against Panathinaikos.

It’s at home, it’s a final, it won’t be easy. It’s Panathinaikos’ last chance, their last event, so you understand that they will give it their all. It’s going to be a difficult game, but we just have to look at our side! We have to do what we’re good at, play our game at the right level. We have to play smart, with tactics. An important role will be played by our people, whom we are waiting for in Rentis! The crowd gave us a lot of support, we want that tomorrow too, he’s our seventh player and we’re waiting for him on the field.”

Panathinaikos also had a difficult week. He was eliminated in the semi-finals of the cup by PAOK and losing 3-0 by Dikefalo eliminated him from the final of the league, leaving the only title he still claims is the Nikos Samaras League Cup.

Since 1998, when the new scoring system was introduced, there have been 75 league games and Olympiacos leads 46-29 wins.