PAOK and OFI will compete for the Greek Cup on Saturday, April 25th, at the Panthessaliko Stadium (20:30).
Each team, of course, wants to add the cup to its trophy cabinet, but the Cup final, as happens in other countries, is not only of interest to those participating.
The title provides a European ticket, and other teams are affected depending on who wins it.
Aris, for example, wants PAOK to be the Cup winner. The same goes for Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and Levadiakos.
We are not referring to the fan of each team, who may be indifferent to who wins the title, since their team is not playing, or may prefer OFI.
We are focusing on the teams that, depending on the European ticket, will plan for the new season.
Whether this concerns preparation or budget. Because it's one thing to know you'll be in the Champions League qualifiers and have several million waiting for you, and another to be in the Europa League or the Conference League.
Especially in the latter competition, an elimination leaves you out. In the other two, teams have "safety nets" if they are eliminated.
Let's see why each of the four teams we mentioned "supports" or, if you prefer, benefits from PAOK winning the Cup.
Olympiacos: Currently, they are second in the league and will participate in the Champions League qualifiers starting in late July.
If PAOK wins the Cup, Olympiacos, provided they don't win the league, wants to finish second to pursue the millions of the League Phase of UEFA's premier competition.
If they finish third, which is also not an improbable scenario, then with PAOK as Cup winners, they will play in the Europa League playoffs.
This means that they won't be hoping for the millions from the Champions League, but will definitively be in a League Phase of a European competition. Either the Europa League or the Conference League, which they have won.
It is also important that they will play at the end of August and will want one qualification for the Europa League.
Therefore, they will have more preparation time and will make their moves much more comfortably.
However, if OFI wins and Olympiacos finishes third behind PAOK, which is not unlikely at the moment, the Cretans will play in the Europa League playoffs, so they will certainly be in a League Phase next season, and the Piraeus team will play in late July in the Europa League qualifiers.
Less preparation time and the risk of being out of Europe with two eliminations, even if they are strong. In the summer, when no team is ready, anything can happen...
Panathinaikos: It will be extremely difficult for them to overtake PAOK, with whom they have an 8-point difference, and finish third. With the Double-headed Eagle as Cup winner, the shamrock will play in the Europa League qualifiers.
With OFI as Cup winner (we mentioned they go to the Europa League playoffs), the fourth-placed Panathinaikos is "relegated" to the Conference League qualifiers.
That is, they will take the fifth European ticket. So, they will need 3 qualifications to enter the League Phase.
Less preparation time, less revenue, and of course with a new coach (as it seems) and quite a few changes again in the squad, it will be difficult for the team to be largely ready.
Panathinaikos has, of course, improved its ranking and will not have giants in its path, but making 3 qualifications in July and August is not the simplest thing.
One elimination leaves you out of Europe... On the contrary, with the Europa League qualifiers, Panathinaikos will have a "safety net".
Levadiakos - Aris: We mention the two teams because Volos seems more difficult, but not impossible, to take fifth place.
Levadiakos has 22 points, OFI 20, Aris 19, and Volos 17.
If OFI wins the Cup, the 5-8 playoffs no longer make sense. There will be 4 indifferent matchdays, and this is something that the HFF and Super League should change next season. That the final should take place at the end of the season with the current format.
So, OFI will go to the Europa League playoffs, the first to the Champions League playoffs, the second to the second qualifying round of the same competition, the third to the second qualifying round of the Europa League, and the fourth to the second qualifying round of the Conference League. Therefore, Levadiakos, Aris, Volos forget Europe.
On the contrary, if PAOK are Cup winners, Levadiakos, OFI, Aris and with fewer chances Volos, will compete for the fifth place for the last ticket leading to the second qualifying round of the Conference League.