We have a top derby in Toumba between PAOK and AEK (11/02, 20:00, Novasports Prime, LIVE SPORT24) for the 22nd matchday of the Stoiximan Super League with the two double-headers wanting victory in the battle for the championship. Despontov and Eliasson are expected to take the starting jersey and determine the outcome of the match from the right end of the attack.
PAOK hosts AEK in Toumba (11/02, 20:00, Novasports Prime, LIVE SPORT24) for the 22nd matchday of the Stoiximan Super League with Sunday’s double-header derby also being a top derby.
The black and whites lead the scoreboard with 50 points and want to exorcise the curse they have against Matias Almeida’s AEK, as in six matches against the Argentine coach they have one win and five losses. If they succeed, they will escape five points from the Union, a few turns before the playoffs.
AEK is in second place with 48 and in front of them is the opportunity to climb to the top, taking a double over PAOK. Behind them follows Panathinaikos who has 47 and is waiting for the outcome of the derby to see what profit he will get if you win away from Panserraikos, while further behind is Olympiacos who has 41 points.
Razvan Lucescu and Matias Almeida never single out their roster units, but they often talk about building the group and the work they do in that regard. However, there are players who can stand out and two of them are Kirill Despodov and Niklas Eliasson who play on the right side of the attack.
The Bulgarian midfielder will clash with Andrija Zivkovic over who will play on the right, while the Swede is expected to start as Amrabad picked up an injury problem against Asteras and is doubtful for the double-header derby.
This is what Despontov and Eliasson have done
So let’s see the comparison of the two footballers who gather many chances to play in the starting line-up. In the Opta/Stats Perform infographic you can see the comparison of the two players and in blue letters are their superior performances in each category.
Head to Head Despodoff and Eliasson
In general, Kirill Despodov surpasses Niklas Eliasson, after all we are talking about the footballer who has cumulatively more goals and assists than anyone else in the league.
The Bulgarian has scored eight goals (Super League has credited another goal from a corner with Panserraikos which ended up in the net after Dunkerlooy’s header), while the Swede has scored three goals. Despontov has slightly dominated assists as well, having dished out a total of six, one more than Niklas Eliasson.
Despodov is a better performer, Eliasson is more of a creator
Kirill Despontov is slightly more of a threat than Niklas Eliasson as he has 1.9 finals per game to the Swede’s 1.7.
But the “value” of his final efforts is noticeably better, as the Bulgarian has 0.3 xGoals per match, with Eliasson having 0.16. This happens because PAOK itself does not create many finals, but it has the most big chances in the league ahead of any other team. Of course, Despodov converges towards the axis more times than Eliasson and for this reason he comes into shooting position more often.
Eliasson, however, contributes more than the 27-year-old PAOK midfielder in terms of creation. Per game the Swede has 2.6 key passes with the Bulgarian having 1.9. Perhaps this is precisely because the Swede stays on the right wing and creates chances from there with fills into the area.
Eliasson does most of the action, but not in the opposing area
Niklas Eliasson has slightly more actions with the ball at his feet per game than Despodov, with 47.9 actions per 90 minutes compared to the Bulgarian’s 43.8. He is also great in carrying the ball, having 11.7 per game with Despodov having 9.1.
However, the PAOK winger steps slightly more in the opponent’s area with 5.3 actions per 90 minutes, with Eliasson having exactly 5 actions. Despontov also made a bigger contribution in the blocking part with 2.9 possession recoveries, compared to the Swede’s 1.9.
In general, these are two football players who can help, but Despontov is a better scorer and Eliasson a better creator. Voulgaros has surpassed him in assists, as he managed to distribute five in two games (three with Kifisia, two with OFI). Eliasson has contributed to this track in more games, having a more consistent presence in it.
Surely these are two players who with their performance, with a good finish, a good pass or an action can define the derby. The only thing that is certain is that the derby will offer us a lot of discussion in the competitive part. After all, this is the most crucial and interesting duel of the championship until the next one.