greece league News
Olympiacos champions again
Olympiacos retained the Greek league title two matches before the end of last season. It is the 35th championship in the club's history and their tenth Greek league title in eleven years. Champions Olympiakos qualified the group stage of the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League, while runners-up AEK Athens secured the 3rd qualifying round of European football's top competition. Panathinaikos, Aris and Panionios, as well as Greek Cup winners Larissa will all figure in this season's UEFA Cup. Ionikos, Egaleo and Kerkyra were relegated to the second division. Here are all winners and losers at the end of the 2006/07 Greek football league campaign:
- Champions: Olympiakos (UEFA Champions League)
- Runners-up: AEK Athens (UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round)
- Third place: Panathinaikos (UEFA Cup)
- Fourth place: Aris (UEFA Cup)
- Fifth place: Panionios (UEFA Cup)
- Greek Cup winners: Larisa (UEFA Cup)
- Seventh place: OFI (Intertoto Cup)
- Relegated: Kerkyra. Egaleo, Ionikos
- Promoted: Levadiakos, Asteras, Veria
| teams | titles | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympiakos | 35 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Panathinaikos | 19 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| AEK Athens | 11 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Aris | 3 | 6 | 13 | 14 | - | 4 |
| PAOK | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Larisa | 1 | - | - | - | 8 | 10 |
| Panionios | - | 5 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 5 |
| Xanthi | - | 9 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 11 |
| Iraklis | - | 7 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 13 |
| OFI | - | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 7 |
| Atromitos | - | - | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Kalamaria | - | - | - | 12 | 9 | 12 |
| Ergotelis | - | - | - | 15 | - | 9 |
| Levadiakos | - | - | - | - | 14 | - |
| Asteras | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Veria | - | - | - | - | - | - |
* The table shows the overall number of titles since 1928 for each club in the Greek football league, and their league standings in the last five seasons.
Rivaldo saga
Rivaldo, a former FIFA world player of the year, has quit Olympiakos after failing to agree terms on a contract extension. The 35-year-old Brazilian playmaker, who joined the Piraeus club in summer 2004, has been instrumental last season as Olympiakos claimed a third successive championship. Rivaldo scored 17 goals in 25 games last term. However, he has surprised Olympiakos’ fans by moving to league rivals AEK Athens. Rivaldo has agreed a two-year free transfer deal which, including bonuses, could be worth up to €2m a year to the player.
After losing Rivaldo, Olympiacos have strengthened their squad ahead of the new season by signing several experienced players. Portsmouth striker Lomana LuaLua has put pen to paper on a three-year contract with the Greek champions, who are believed to have paid a fee in the region of €3.5m for the Congolese international. Spanish defender Raul Bravo has joined Olympiacos on a four-year contract from Real Madrid for €2.3m, while Argentine winger Luciano Galletti arrives from Atletico Madrid for a similar fee.
| team | points | overall | home | away |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympiacos | 71 | 22-5-3 | 13-1-1 | 9-4-2 |
| AEK Athens | 62 | 18-8-4 | 11-3-1 | 7-5-3 |
| Panathinaikos | 54 | 16-6-8 | 8-2-5 | 8-4-3 |
| Aris | 46 | 11-13-6 | 8-4-3 | 3-9-3 |
| Panionios | 45 | 12-9-9 | 9-3-3 | 3-6-6 |
| PAOK | 45 | 13-6-11 | 10-2-3 | 3-4-8 |
| OFI | 42 | 12-6-12 | 8-3-4 | 4-3-8 |
| Atromitos | 40 | 10-10-10 | 5-8-2 | 5-2-8 |
| Ergotelis | 39 | 11-6-13 | 7-4-4 | 4-2-9 |
| Larisa | 36 | 9-9-12 | 5-5-5 | 4-4-7 |
| Xanthi | 36 | 8-12-10 | 5-9-1 | 3-3-9 |
| Kalamaria | 35 | 9-8-13 | 6-5-4 | 3-3-9 |
| Iraklis | 35 | 10-5-15 | 6-3-6 | 4-2-9 |
| Kerkyra | 35 | 8-11-11 | 7-5-3 | 1-6-8 |
| Egaleo | 28 | 7-7-16 | 5-3-7 | 2-4-9 |
| Ionikos | 7 | 2-3-25 | 1-2-12 | 1-1-13 |
* The table displays Greek National League standings for season 2005/2006.
Disappointing season
Panathinaikos have fired coach Victor Munoz following a disappointing season. The 50-year-old Spaniard took over in October 2006, replacing Hans Backe. However, The Athens club finished third in the Greek League this season, 17 points behind champions Olympiacos and out of the UEFA Champions League qualification places. Panathinaikos also lost to Larissa in the Greek Cup final. The new boss is Jose Peseiro. The 47-year-old Portuguese manager, who coached Real Madrid in the 2003/04 season, was in charge at Sporting Portugal between 2004 and 2006 before spending last campaign with Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal Club.
This page is introduction to the 2007/2008 Greek National League season. Latest news, statistics, results and predictions you can find on our main Euro Football > Greece page.
Emilio Ferrera has been appointed the new coach of Xanthi. The 40-year-old, who last coached Belgian side Brugge, replaced Nikos Kehagias who had been at Xanthi's helm since last February. Ferrera has signed a two-year contract with the Greek club.
| team | odds | team | odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympiakos | 1.8 | AEK Athens | 3 |
| Panathinaikos | 4.5 | Aris | 34 |
| PAOK | 40 | Xanthi | 100 |
| Larisa | 120 | Panionios | 250 |
| OFI Crete | 450 | Atromitos | 450 |
| Asteras | 500 | Iraklis | 500 |
| Ergotelis | 850 | Kalamaria | 1500 |
| Levadeiakos | 2000 | Veria | 2500 |
Greek Cup finals in last five years
2003 PAOK - Aris 1:0
2004 Panathinaikos - Olympiakos 3:1
2005 Olympiakos - Aris 3:0
2006 Olympiakos - AEK 3:0
2007 Larisa - Panathinaikos 2:1
Larisa striker Henri Antchouet has been suspended for two years by the Greek Football Federation after testing positive for a banned substance following the 2007 Greek Cup final. The Gabon international scored the winner for Larisa as they beat Panathinaikos 2-1 but the outcome of the final would not be affected, the disciplinary committee confirmed in a statement earlier this summer.