In an attempt to close the gap of eight points behind leaders Panathinaikos, AEK is forced to start the second round without one of the most valuable players, Miyat Gacinovic. The 27-year-old Serbian midfielder is walking through the door of the surgery ward today to deal with an abdominal problem, meaning he will be out of league games with Lamia (in), Volos (out), PAS (out). , Panathinaikos (inside), Kifisia (Cup), Panaitoliko (inside) and Ionian (outside). Considering that the recovery time is estimated at 4-5 weeks, it is possible that he will be able to fight again in the home match against Aris (29/1), but in such cases, any predictions are risky. Despite the fact that the initial diagnosis indicated a bone tumor and it was jointly decided to treat the problem conservatively, in recent training sessions, when the player began to increase the pace, the discomfort increased.

Now Matias Almeida is forced to adjust his plans, and Steven Zuber, who returned after a similar operation, is at his disposal. The Union’s transfer ambitions have now turned to 22-year-old American midfielder Benjamin Kikanovich.