Despite an appeal for postponement, the derby between Olympiacos and PAOK is set to go ahead and each side desperately needs to down the other to boost their premiership chances.

The derby will take place at “Toumba” Stadium on Monday morning (AEDT) in spite of Olympiacos’ request to have it rescheduled due to their European commitments with Ferencvaros, which failed to gain the required majority of ten votes.

The Piraeus giants will now have to muster all their strength to recover from their midweek success in Europe and score a crucial win against PAOK to stay alive in the title race.

For the Thessaloniki giants, a win would guarantee they remain the league leaders, a position that is becoming more and more desirable as we enter the final stages of the regular season.

AEK, one of PAOK’s title rivals, is set to host a relegation-battling Kifisia outfit at “Agia Sophia” ground and would no doubt expect nothing less than maximum points, making it even more imperative that the Thessaloniki side defeats the “red-whites”.

The other club firmly in championship contention, Panathinaikos, is preparing for a visit from Lamia at “Leoforos” Stadium on Sunday morning.

The match could prove to be a tricky fixture for the Greens, given the Fthiotida side is coming in on a four-game winning streak, though victory is a must at this stage of the season for the “Trifylli” if they wish to earn their first league title in 14 years.

Aris travels to face Atromitos in the round opener and a triumph would go a long way in the club boosting their odds of finishing in the top six, which they would consider the primary target for this campaign.

Volos takes on Giannina at home on Monday morning and a win for the Magnesia side would go a long way in helping them avoid the relegation positions, while the Epirus club is hoping for a success to somehow escape from last place.

Asteras Tripolis is looking to beat Panetolikos at home on Tuesday morning and hopefully gain ground on Lamia (currently four points ahead in sixth) to sneak into the play-offs spots.

OFI plays Panserraikos in Crete with each team hoping to snap a three-game winless run and develop some momentum heading into the closing stages of the regular season.

Greek Super League Rd 23 fixtures (AEDT)
Atromitos-Aris: 04.30, Sun 18 Feb
Panathinaikos-Lamia: 05.30, Sun 18 Feb
Volos-Giannina: 00.30, Mon 19 Feb
AEK-Kifisia: 04.00, Mon 19 Feb
PAOK-Olympiacos: 05.30, Mon 19 Feb
OFI-Panserraikos: 02.30, Tue 20 Feb
Asteras Tripolis-Panetolikos: 03.00, Tue 20 Feb