Progression to the final the only focus
The race for second place in the Super League Play Offs is put to one side for a few days as the team switches focus to their bid to reach the Greek Cup final. The next step to get there is the second leg of the semi-final on Holy Thursday (29.04, 19:00) against AEK.
The Double-headed Eagle hold a 1-0 advantage from the first match at the OAKA, and the team is aiming to defend that lead and reach the final for the fourth time in the last five years. The preparation started on Monday (26.04) morning in Nea Mesimvria. The players who played in the derby against Panathinaikos remained in the gym, the swimming pool and with the physiotherapists for recovery and rehabilitation.
The rest of the group went out onto the practice pitches for a full training program. Initially there were running exercises and rondo, followed by some games played within limited spaces, and then a mini-match. Andrija Zivkovic trained normally with the squad and has overcome the virus that saw him miss out the last game. Shinji Kagawa and Enea Mihaj trained with the rest of the squad for a large part of the session before withdrawing to continue working on their individual programs.
Jose Crespo received some treatment and did some gym work, as did Adrian Pereira, while Omar El Kaddouri will undergo an MRI scan today on his hip to assess the extent of his injury.
On Tuesday (27.04), PAOK will train at 11:00 in Nea Mesimvria.
