The most closed corner of the championship in the course of 30 races separated the chaff from the grain and mathematically confirmed what everyone understood from the very beginning: there is no place for two-thirds, and the claim for the title, as expected, has grown into an exclusive if Panathinaic And her AEK. They both had great 2-1 and 3-1 away wins at Toumba and Karaiskakis respectively, eliminating PAOK And Olympic. With five games to go, “North’s double header” at -12 and “Red-Whites” at -9 overhead, the condition is completely out of the question for any spectacular upset scenario.

With the start of the second round of the CL1 playoffs, clear lines emerged at all levels of competition. Panathinaikos and AEK claim the title, Olympiakos with PAOK – for 3rd place, which leads (under certain conditions – depending on who wins the Cup) in the Europa League, and Aris with Volos – for the last European ticket to the Conference League. At the first level of the competition, there is no point difference, with Panathinaikos and AEK tied for 72 points. At the second level, Olympiacos maintains a 3-point lead over PAOK, but should go to Toumba, and if they lose there, they will fall behind in the event of a draw, and at the third level, Aris scored 4 points of air over Volos, who they accept in “OK. Vikelidis”, and if he beats him again (this will be the 4th time this year), he will finally secure European continuity for himself.

Panathinaikos and AEK’s win from this game day is many times greater than Olympiacos’ and PAOK’s failure in the fight for the title. With the big margin they built against their competitors, they essentially secured (very quickly and mathematically) two Champions League berths. Whoever wins the championship starts from the 3rd qualifying round at the beginning of August and enters their groups with two qualifying rounds, in a rare situation that we are unlikely to see again in the near future. With one qualification, whether in the 3rd round or in the playoffs, the champion continues to play in the Europa League, and if he survives two relegations, he will have a “cushion” in the groups of the Conference League, i.e. whatever its European continuation will be guaranteed.

The runner-up will advance to the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League at the end of July and will follow the path of non-champions. They need three qualifiers to qualify for the group stage, not two, for the Europa League two and for the Conference League one when they reach it in 3 attempts. Basically, he will be (from a different road and other potential opponents) in exactly the same position as the champion if he breaks the 2nd qualifying round barrier. Otherwise, they will need at least one qualification in the other two chances to qualify for the group stage in one of the other two competitions.

3rd place in the league brings its owner to the Europa League only if it allows … Cup winner. Given that PAOK and AEK reached the final of the competition, if the trophy is won by Soyuz, which (logically) will have a secured Champions League qualifier either as 1st or 2nd place in the championship, then a ticket for The Europa League will win the 3rd place in SL1, meaning either Olympiacos or PAOK, as it has been so far. However, if PAOK wins the Cup, they will qualify for the Europa League qualifiers even if they finish 4th in the league. In this scenario, Olympiacos will compete in the conference league and will need 3 qualifications in the same number of rounds without an airbag to qualify for its groups. With the first exception, it ends its European presence.

This year is a draw and offers the privilege of 15th place in a special UEFA ranking, which allows 5 of our teams to travel to Europe, two of them in the Champions League qualification, one in the Europa League and two more in the Europa League. Conference League. From the next period we are returning to… the younger ones in 4 teams with a possible important change that apparently has been adopted by UEFA and will be announced soon: from the next period, not the cup winner will be awarded, but the team that will finish second place in the championship. The division will also change, and instead of having one team in the Champions League and three in the Conference League like before last year, we will have one team (champion) in the Champions League, one (runner-up) in the Champions League. in the Europa League and two (3rd and Cup winner or 3rd and 4th depending on who wins the Cup) in the Conference. Of course, an official announcement of the change is required – so far this format has not been used.

In the fight for the title, the schedules of Panathinaikos and AEK are relatively balanced, with both having 3 home and 2 away matches. Panathinaikos plays Volos on Wednesday, hosts AEK PAOK at Leoforos, then travels to Faliro to face Olympiakos and will close the season at home against Aris. And precisely because a lot of dust has already been raised about what his… home court will be in this game, it is absolutely clear that the (quadruple capacity) OAKA will only be chosen if the title is already determined and the match is a fiesta. If Panathinaikos needs at least one point for the 1st place, then there is no need to think about Leoforos.

AEK starts the 2nd round of the play-offs with Agia Sofia on Wednesday against PAOK, who are still motivated because they are chasing 3rd place. On Sunday he travels to Leoforos, then hosts Olympiakos in Philadelphia, then meets Aris in Thessaloniki and closes his program at home with Volos. He also has a very busy schedule, with 3 derbies in a row against Panathinaikos, Olympiacos and PAOK, making him 4th in a row since last Sunday at G. Karaiskakis”.

Whether either of the two gladiators get even a slight lead in the exciting Game 6 of the playoffs, or whether they go hand in hand again on points, it’s clear that Sunday’s derby between them will be the most decisive battle for the title. . Name . Panathinaikos will go for it with the pressure that the home team always exerts in such important matches, but in the end it is an advantage they will give to the “mother of all battles” in their own “hot” home, in front of their fans. If they are not defeated in this derby, they will have another (perhaps insignificant, but possibly huge) advantage, as they get the upper hand in a draw with AEK. If the Union wins on the avenue, stumbles elsewhere, and draws at the end, then it will have the advantage.

The resilience of the two teams to the pressure and fatigue from consecutive games will play a decisive role in the battle for the title. Over the course of 11 days (Wednesday-Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday), they will play four games in a row with bated breath, making almost no mistakes. Anyone who stumbles won’t have much of a chance to make amends as games dwindle and the league winds down. Pressure management and any difficulties that arise along the way (injuries, disqualifications, fatigue, possible nutritional errors) will largely determine the battle for the title.

The mood of the points-indifferent teams will be important, which will arise if in 2-3 matches they clarified the situation for 3rd place and the last European ticket. There is also the possibility of a severe punishment for Olympiacos due to serious incidents in the match against AEK, with the possible scenario of a meeting between Panathinaikos and Faliro on the penultimate match day without fans. And in a battle that has been going hand-to-hand for a long time, every detail can play a decisive role and decide, in the end, the winner …