A struggling Panathinaikos were dealt a hard blow last weekend, as they lost 1-0 away at Asteras Tripolis and saw AEK Athens overtake them in the league table for the first time this season.

Panathinaikos were nine points ahead of their city rivals just before the World Cup break, but they have managed just two narrow 1-0 wins in seven league games since December.

In fact, Ivan Jovanovic’s side, who went on a 16-game unbeaten run earlier this season, have lost three of their last four matches across all competitions. Panathinaikos desperately need to bounce back and grab a morale-boosting win to avoid dropping further down the table ahead of the playoffs.

Sunday’s game against Lamia is their easiest fixture before the league split and one that Panathinaikos are expected to win with the help of the home support. Second-bottom Lamia are heading to the Greek capital after a dreadful performance and a 2-0 defeat at home against bottom-placed Ionikos.

They have not won any of their 10 games away from home, having scored just two goals on the road thus far. Lamia have lost all their six games against the Big-4 teams (Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens and PAOK), conceding 14 goals and failing to celebrate a single goal.

In fact, they were beaten 2-0 by Panathinaikos on home soil back in October and have lost all their last six games against the Greek Super League giants. Only one of Panathinaikos’ 20 league games and none of their 10 home matches have ended with over 3.5 goals. Panathinaikos have been scoring 1.3 goals per game on home soil, with Lamia conceding 1.6 goals away from home.

The hosts should grab a much-needed three points here, but their win against Lamia is not expected to be a comfortable one.

Galatasaray have put on a historic run, winning 14 games in a row in all competitions, and 11 in a row in the Turkish Super Lig. They have lots of confidence in their players and having superstar players such as Mauro Icardi is always helpful – he proved it again this week taking the game by the scruff of the neck and helping his side to win. The fans are packing the stands every week and it is becoming increasingly difficult to see just where this winning run will end. They have no injury or suspension concerns ahead of this one.

Trabzonspor meanwhile are much more up and down with their form. Last season’s title win seems to have killed the desire, especially amongst the squad’s more experienced players, and the manager has not yet been able to reignite the fire that carried them to the championship in 2022. They are currently 13 points off a rampant Galatasaray and hopes of another title look to be all but over.

They are also missing four of their starters in Peres, Tokoz, Hamsik and Visca. They are not entering the derby in a good condition, especially not when compared to their neighbours at the head of the table. Yet they still managed to win without conceding last week, so perhaps they can provide a sterner test than we might otherwise have expected.

Galatasaray’s lead at the top of the table is now 6 points, meaning that they can afford to somewhat relax in terms of rampant performances. Trabzonspor’s manager will also undoubtedly be cautious, knowing that a loss could spell the end of his time at the club. They have been playing a much less risky game for the last few weeks and this should translate to fewer goals in this one.

The weather also looks set to be snowy, which should help to keep play slow and deliberate, exactly what we would hope for when backing under 2.5 goals.