Panaitolikos - Aris Thessaloniki predictions and free betting tips [13/02/2024]

The Greek Football Cup semi-final is worth analysing to make the right betting choice. The first semi-final will take place in Agrinio, where 'Aris' will meet the 'underdog' home team, 'Panetolikos', who's currently in danger of relegation from the Super League. Regardless, this secondary tournament becomes critical as it provides an opportunity to win the cup and simultaneously qualify for the Europa League. Both teams have high motivation for this match.

Panetolikos

Panetolikos has been unpredictable lately, originally seen as a regular bottom-half team. The retrospectives become irrelevant when pondering about this Agrinio squad. If the 'canaries' fail against Aris, besides their position in the Super League relegation group, there's not much for Panetolikos. Coach Yannis Petrakis' team results in the championship are mixed with victories, draws, and more losses. This salad of outcomes, while not surprising, makes it tricky to place bets on Panetolikos. Their performance is inconsistent and intriguing.

The Greek Cup is another story. For Petrakis' players, this tournament is crucial, the possibility of reaching the final and preparing to potentially win it keeps the team motivated. The saying in football is that anything can happen in a single match, especially in a final. On top of that, there's a chance to qualify for the European competition.

As for the lineup, Panetolikos doesn't look particularly strong in the Super League relegation group. Some concerns about the goalkeeper's position are worth mentioning, as Antonis Stergiakis got injured and was replaced by Stefanos Kapino. Now, Stefanos hasn't made the squad list for three matches in a row. It's interesting to see how the coach might change the attacking lineup and whether he will stick with the pair of strikers or just go with one upfront. Panetolikos readiness is strictly based on strategy because there are no evident leaders to carry the weight of responsibility for the result. The weight of expectation is distributed evenly among the players.

Aris

Aris is far from being audacious, since Apostolos Mancios is the kind of coach where everything must be organised and beneficial. In principle, Mancios is pleased with his players' achievements in all competitions. For those unaware, Apostolos Mancios joined 'Aris' after the team was knocked out of the Conference League qualification. His task was to reach the European competition again and try to compete with Greece's big clubs. So far, Mancios has been quite successful, but now comes the crucial moment when his team can reach the Cup final and try to stay away from the relegation zone in the league.

Regarding player selection, Aris looks like a mid-tier Greek club. In attack, they have Spanish forward Loren Morón who, for some reason, has scored less frequently since the beginning of the year, being outperformed by Álvaro Samora. Magomed-Shapi Suleymanov is expected to start against Panetolikos, as Apostolos Mancios rested him in the league match against PAS Giannina, which implies he might be unleashed for the Cup game.

There's also been stability in the goalkeeping position, with Julian in goals and Lefteris Huteziotis as a backup. Central defender Fabiano is ruled out due to injury for the clash against Panetolikos. It would be interesting to look at Aris midfield line, which changes frequently.

Aris has many advantages over Panetolikos, but a Greek Cup semi-final and the first match on an away ground is different from a regular league game. Thus, we can't expect Aris, the club from Thessaloniki, to be the big favourite in this contest.

Head-to-Head

The teams played two matches in the Super League this season, with Aris winning confidently both at home with a 3:0 score and in Agrinio with a 4:0 score.

Match prediction: Panetolikos - Aris

Panetolikos will definitely play defensively, and Aris won't rush recklessly forward. The team from Thessaloniki is better off playing pragmatically, so the best bet would be total under 2.5 goals for the game.