Match Previews

Greek challengers without Delure (mid) and Da Silva (att)... Panionios of Greece travel to the east of France on Thursday for what will be just their second competitive game of the season. The Athens club, who finished fifth in the Greek Super League last season with a cosmopolitan team, drew their opening game of the season at the weekend, a scoreless draw against Aris away from home. Panionios may not be as match sharp as their opponents but the one advantage of starting their season later is that they have no immediate injury concerns as their European campaign starts in earnest. It may take some time for the players to gel however as there have been several new additions to the Panionios roster including the signing of German midfielder Mikael Delura, Ghanain midfielder Bennard Yao Kumodri and Croatian defender Ivica Majstrovic. Friendly matches have, of course, been played including a particularly encouraging showing against Alexandria recently however this is no substitute for the real match experience. Slovakian goalkeeper Miroslav Koenig (r) is expected to feature from the outset; the vastly experienced stopper has a wealth of experience he can lend to his side. Majstrovic is expected to start alongside Pletsch and Makos while another Slovakian, Gaspar, will complete the line-up. Nikos Sipouropoulis will be a vital player in the centre of midfield; he is a defensively minded player yet is still regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Greek football at present. He should compliment the presence of Fanouris Goundoulakis, who top scored for the club last season. Delura is injured while Portuguese forward Da Silva is also missing. Rafik Djebbour (r) will lead the line alongside Christos Arividis (r). This will be a tough match for the Greeks primarily due to their lack of practise. Any kind of positive result would be a huge boost to them.