Rival Analysis: OFI profile
Paokfc.gr’s Rival Analysis column puts the magnifying glass on this weekend’s opponents OFI, giving you the lowdown on everything you need to know about the Cretan club ahead of our Super League Interwetten Matchday 18 contest at the Toumba Stadium.
To paraphrase a popular proverb, we can say for OFI, that a surprise repeated, then ceases to be a surprise. In recent years, the Cretans have charted their own course in Greek football and they should feel constantly justified with the team they have created.
Last Wednesday, the team from Crete completed their first-half of the season with a 3-0 awy victory over Apollon Smyrnis, while they have also played a 1-1 draw against PAS Giannina at home in their first match of the second hald of the campaign.
In total, in 17 games, the Cretans have collected 26 points and are in 4th place in the standings along with PAS Giannina and Panathinaikos, having lost only to PAOK and Olympiakos in the league this season.
Things have not quite worked out for them in the Greek Cup, where they exited at the Round of 16 stage after losing twice to Aris with a total aggregate score of 1-5.
The architect of the team is Nikos Nioplias. The Greek coach has done an excellent job relying on the strong squad he has in his hands, and he has created a team that can do almost everything on the pitch and that generally likes to play their own brand of football.
Major protagonists for the Cretans so far are Juan Neira and Lazaros Lamprou. The Argentine has continued his excellent form in Greece, while Lamprou, who plays for OFI on loan from PAOK, has upped his game recently and is a point of reference for Nioplias’ team.
The quality of the squad is given with players such as Gallegos, Toral, Mellardo, and Nabi, while the management will also strengthen the squad further in the January transfer window, so that Nioplias and his players have all the players they need to fight for their goal, which is to enter the Play Offs.
In view of PAOK, the coach of the Cretans is without Lamprou, due to an agreement with PAOK that he does not play, but he still has Marinakis and Mellardo at his disposal.
In detail, OFI’s squad for the trip to the Toumba includes the following players:
Waterman, Sotiriou, Sifakis, Pasalidis, Marinakis, Balogiannis, Neira, Lymperakis, Kastanios, De Guzman, Diamantis, Kamaou, Tsilianidis, Giannoulis, Korovesis, Mellardo, Nabi, Nambio, Van Duinou, Seoul.
