AEK Athens Play for Pride against Benfica in Last Group Match

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AEK Athens are not one of the favourites to get anything out of the game against Benfica even though there is little to play for both teams in this match. This is a pointless encounter considering that both teams do not stand to get anything out of this fixture. AEK Athens are the only team left in the group stages yet to take a point. Hence, it is not a surprise to see them at the bottom of the group and they have also failed to make it to the Europa League as a result.

Benfica have been able to get a spot into the second tier of the European competition owing to a run of just one victory in their last five matches. This victory came against AEK Athens in the reverse fixture. Even though AEK Athens come into the match after winning the last two games in all competitions, they are generally poor when it comes to the European games. Even in the domestic Greek league, AEK Athens have not been able to make much of an impact as they are an incredible 12 points behind PAOK, who are leaders in the division.
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Toure ecstatic to re-associate with Olympiacos

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Yaya Toure reveals that many different reputed clubs from different continents had approached him and had offered him lucrative contracts when he was a free agent earlier this year, but putting aside everything, he came back to Olympaicos because Olympiacos is the club which had provided him the platform to showcase his potential to the Football world.

It was at Olympiacos where Toure was first taken note of by the coaches and scouts around the world after which he went on to enjoy an illustrious career in Europe which included very successful stints with Barcelona and Manchester City. Continue reading Toure ecstatic to re-associate with Olympiacos

Nicolas Tagliafico pleased with his Ajax contribution versus AEK Athens

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Argentina international Nicolas Tagliafico was pleased with his match-winning brace for Ajax during their Champions League opener against AEK Athens. The Dutch outfit were initially made to sweat after playing out a goalless first half but they managed to open up the Greek champions in the second half with Tagliafico bagging two of the goals.

Speaking after the game, Tagliafico said that the opening strike was crucial to change the complexion of the match whilst admitting that he was probably lucky with the second goal which came about from a spectacular mishit, he told UEFA.com: “My first goal was the most important because it broke the match open. The second was, I admit, a little lucky.
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Yaya Toure Joins Greek Outfit Olympiakos

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Yaya Toure has made the switch back to Turkish football after agreeing to join Olympiakos. The former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder spent one season at the club before going on to achieve a huge amount of success at the aforementioned clubs. Toure has revealed that he promised to return back to the Greek outfit when he left in 2006 and now he is delighted to be able to keep the promise. The midfielder was out of contract at the end of the campaign, but his future at Manchester City appeared bleak since Pep Guardiola did not consider the midfielder for a majority of the matches.

It is reported that the former Ivory Coast international has been able to agree a wages of around €2.5 million per season. The midfielder was immensely successful at Barcelona and Manchester City but he will be best remembered for his spell with the latter, as he has been able to win two League Cup medals, one FA Cup, and three Premier League trophies during his eight seasons with the club. He was instrumental in transforming Manchester City from a little-known outfit in the English league into one of the powerhouses of world football. The signing is a much needed sigh of relief for Olympiacos, who were only able to finish in the third place last season.
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Papastathopoulos Signs for Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund

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Arsenal have been able to complete the signing of Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos. The club typically did not disclose the length of the contract, but claimed that the 30-year-old has signed a long-term deal with the club. The defender has made the switch from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £ 17 million. He has represented clubs like AC Milan, Genoa, and Werder Bremen before making the move to Dortmund. At his latest German outfit,Papastathopoulos was able to make no less than 186 appearances. Hence, Arsenal are getting a player who is steeped in experience when it comes to European football.

Arsenal are no strangers to signing defenders from the German league and Per Mertesacker is one of the first names that springs to the mind. However,Papastathopoulos is a Greek international who has made 79 appearances for the national team. He will wear the number five shirt at Arsenal. His arrival does not seem to conclude an active transfer market for Arsenal, as the club has been quite active in helping new manager Unai Emery with a list of new players to complement the existing stars. The other names who have moved to Arsenal in the summer include Stephan Lichtsteiner and Bernd Len. After having made the switch to Arsenal,Papastathopoulos will be reunited with his former Borussia Dortmund players – Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
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AEK Athens Part Company With Manolo Jimenez

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Greece has once again proved the instability within the league by witnessing the departure of Spanish coach Manolo Jimenez just a few days after getting champions AEK Athens to the league title. AEK Athens have been able to claim the league title for the first time in 24 years as they won the championship this season. However, it is reported thatJimenez demanded a huge improvement in salary and the club failed to meet those expectations. As a result, it is expected thatJimenez will make a return to Spanish football with Las Palmas, who have just been relegated from the La Liga, keen to have him for a push for promotion.

Jimenez is no stranger to Greek football after having been in charge of AEK Athens back in the 2010-11 campaign. He came to back to the club in January 2017 and helped them to reach the group stages of Europe following a six-year absence. The team managed to achieve this status by reaching the Europa League play-offs by beating Club Brugge KV. Continue reading AEK Athens Part Company With Manolo Jimenez