They say that great things require patience. And that’s how PAOK fans may have felt over the years as they watched their rivals lift championship trophies while they stood by waiting their turn. But after last Sunday’s 1-2 at Xanthi, it appears that time is near.

Despite a great second round by Olympiacos, Razvan Lucescu’s men were determined to make it all the way and never allowed their contenders to believe that they had a real chance at the league.

This Sunday their efforts will begin to bear fruit as Toumba stadium, filled to capacity, may possibly welcome them as champions for the first time after so long.

Even though the black-and-whites haven’t officially secured the Super League yet, they stand a good chance if they win Sunday’s game against Lamia. Just one more victory in their final three matches is necessary for them to be named champions of the 2019/20 season.

READ MORE: PAOK close in on first championship title after 34 years

The Romanian coach is fortunate enough to have the support of the board who have provided him with a full roster of players, where each one is perfectly capable of filling in for the other.

The loss of Aleksandar Prijovic during the winter transfer season was never even noticed, as the club used the revenue from the sale of the Serbian striker to acquire players such as Ingasson, Swiderski, Oliveira, while also ending the loan out of Henrique, making an already strong enough squad seem practically flawless. Such great was the desire to win the league that the club’s higher-ups were willing to dig deep into their pockets in order to end the dry spell.

PAOK’s prospects look bright thanks to Olympiacos having had a great second round (even better than PAOK themselves actually), but having come nowhere near to being a threat to the team from Thessaloniki.

The red-and-whites, who managed to defeat Atromitos last weekend came back from behind, and will also end the season on a high note. Despite the loss to PAOK at Toumba earlier in the season, they have won all other matches, and it is only due to their unsuccessful first round that they are so far behind their rivals.

This weekend they will head out to face Panetolikos.

READ MORE: AEK set to get a new stadium

Current champions AEK are also returning to form after Manolo Jimenez took over, as proven by the 4-0 win against the team from Etoloakarnania last Sunday.

They will be tried once again, this time at Xanthi, who are looking for points in order to avoid getting into relegation troubles.

Meanwhile, Aris will have a unique opportunity to seal their position within the Europa League qualifiers of next season, as a win for the “god of war” at the Olympic Stadium against Panathinaikos on Sunday will put them too far out of reach for the talented “greens”.

DAY 26 RESULTS
Levadiakos – Giannena 0-2 (77′ Nikolias, 90’+5′ Manos, 51′ sent off Kargas)
Lamia – Panionios 1-0 (6′ Karamanos)
AEL – Asteras Tripolis 2-1 (31′ pen. Andoni, 70′ Moras / 16′ Kaltsas)
Aris – OFI 3-1 (75′ Rose, 89′ Matilla, 90’+5′ Martinez / 26′ Vaz)
AEK – Panetolikos 4-0 (39′ Ikonomou, 50′ OG Malis, 82′ Boye, 83′ Galanopoulos)
Xanthi – PAOK 1-2 (85′ Almeida / 33′ Oliveira, 68′ Henrique)
Olympiacos – Atromitos 2-1 (50′ Guillherme, 75′ Bouchalakis / 30′ Koulouris)
Apollon Smyrnis – Panathinaikos 1-3 (74′ Vafeas, 54′ sent off Jaguaribe / 19′ Chatzitheodoridis, 49′ Kampetsis, 79′ Macheda0

DAY 27 FIXTURES
Saturday 6 April
OFI – Giannena
Panathinaikos – Aris
Panionios – AEL
Xanthi – AEK
Sunday 7 April
Asteras Tripolis – Levadiakos
Panetolikos – Olympiacos
PAOK – Lamia
Monday 8 April
Atromitos – Apollon Smyrnis