1939–40 Greek Cup

The Sports Ministry has announced a ban on the the organized movement of AEK Athens and PAOK soccer fans in Volos, central Greece, in view of the Greek Cup final on Wednesday, citing "serious reasons of public order and security."

The Cup final is scheduled to be held at the Panthessaliko Stadium, starting at 8.30 p.m.

AEK is one point away from clinching the Super League title as Covid-stricken Panathinaikos lost at Olympiakos to drop from the top one game before the end.

AEK had to come from behind to win 2-1 at Aris on Monday, with the penultimate round of the playoffs being postponed by 24 hours due to dozens of Covid cases at the Panathinaikos camp.

Panathinaikos dropped two precious points at home against PAOK on Wednesday, but will not pay for it as AEK also stumbled at home against Olympiakos, leaving the situation unchanged at the top of the Super League table.

Panathinaikos and AEK will face off this Sunday in what looks like a league final, albeit with another three games left to play, following their easy victories in the sixth round of the Super League playoffs on Wednesday.

AEK and PAOK will once again contest the Greek Cup final, as has been the habit of the last few years, with the exception of 2022 when Panathibnaikos won the trophy. The question now is where and when the final will take place.

Panathinaikos beat Olympiakos in the Derby of Eternal Rivals and remained at the top of the Super League table alongside AEK that defeated Aris.

PAOK has eliminated holder Panathinaikos from the Greek Cup to advance to the semifinals of the competition, as have AEK, Olympiakos and Lamia.

Last season's finalist PAOK qualified on a 3-1 aggregate score. It beat Panathinaikos 2-0 last week in Thessaloniki and on Thursday it snatched a 1-1 draw in Athens despite finishing the game with 10 men.

Greek police have banned public rallies in central Athens between 6 p.m. on Thursday and 6 a.m. on Sunday as part of security measures ahead of the Greek Cup Final between AEK and PAOK soccer clubs at the Olympic Stadium of Athens (OAKA) on Saturday.
Officials announced on Monday that the match will be played behind closed doors.

Thessaloniki giants PAOK and Aris beat their Athens rivals, Panathinaikos and AEK respectively, to edge closer to their objectives, i.e. the unbeaten Super League triumph for PAOK, and the fifth place, that may lead to a European spot, for Aris.

PAOK dropped its first points at home this season, conceding a 1-1 draw to crosstown rival Aris on Sunday.

The first Aris goal by Fran Velez, whom television replays showed to have come from an offside position, denied PAOK another home win as it canceled out Adelino Vieirinha's opener late in the first half.