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France World Cup striker DJIBRIL CISSE (9) of defending champion FC PANATHINAIKOS of Athens, whose final transfer fee including all add-ons from Ligue 1 club Olympique Marseille is thought to be 20.0 million Euros, is easily the leading scorer with 18 goals in the Greek Super League this season.
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If FC PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS are to successfully defend their title in the Greek Super League, the 20-time national champion must defeat their ultimate arch-rival in the derby known as “DERBY OF ETERNAL ENEMIES”.
With just eight games remaining in the 2010-11 campagin, Panathinaikos are currently seven points behind their cross-town adversary, FC Olympiakos Piraeus. A loss by To Trifylli (The Shamrock) would leave the second place team in the Greek top flight ten points back and essentially end the championship race. A tie with Olympiakos probably would not be enough to do the job for Portuguese manager JESUALDO FERREIRA’s club, either.
Panathinaikos are fresh from a convincing 3-1 triumph over another traditional, intra-city adversary in AEK Athens last week.
The Shamrock will certainly look to France World Cup striker and club captain DJIBRIL CISSE in the all-important, cross-town rivalry contest. After all, it was the one-time FC Liverpool attacker who scored two second half goals to bring Panathinaikos back from 1-0 down against Olympiakos in the last Day Of Eternal Enemies Derby this past October. Since signing from French Ligue 1 outfit Olympique Marseille to start last season, Cisse has piled up 41 goals in 48 Greek Super League matches for To Trifylli.
Panathinaikos have two other former FC Liverpool players on the books currently. Spain international LUIS GARCIA, the veteran 32-year-old winger for whom the Reds once paid 6.0 million English pounds to FC Barcelona, arrived on a free transfer from La Liga side Racing Santander this past August. On the last day of the same month, French midfielder DAMIEN PLESSIS was sold by FC Liverpool to The Shamrock for a transfer free thought to be around 700,000 English pounds.
Panathinaikos also acquired 31-year-old veteran France World Cup winger SIDNEY GOVOU, who left Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyon after eleven years, on a free transfer this past summer; To Trifylli added yet another aging France international from Olympique Lyon, defender JEAN-ALAIN BOUMSONG — once bought by Newcastle United from Glasgow Rangers for 8.0 million English pounds — in a deal thought to be worth 800,000 Euros, as well.
A rock in the center of the park for the Athenian club remains 34-year-old veteran GILBERTO SILVA, who has earned 93 caps and been a member of three World Cup squads for Brazil in his career; Panathinaikos purchased the highly-experienced midfielder from FC Arsenal in July of 2008 for 1.0 million English pounds.
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Greece World Cup midfielder KOSTAS KATSOURANIS (right), who has earned 78 caps and counted eight goals for his country in his career, is the second-leading scorer for FC PANATHINAIKOS of Athens with four goals in the league this season and scored the first goal for The Shamrock last week in the up-lifting 3-1 win over intra-city adversary AEK Athens. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images)
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FC PANATHINAIKOS ATHENS
2010-11 Greek League stats
games/starts
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GK : A. Tzorvas 22/22
DF : L. Vyntra 18/17, S. Marinos 18/8, J. Boumsong 17/17, N. Spyropoulos 17/17, C. Kante 15/15, J. Sarriegi 10/10, G. Ioannidis 7/2, G. Seitaridis 4/3
MF : K. Katsouranis 21/17, Gilberto Silva 18/18, L. Christodoulopoulos 17/14, G. Karagounis 15/6, Simao 14/7, S. Leto 12/12, S. Ninis 12/12, E. Dimoutsos 6/0, D. Plessis 4/4, C. Mavrias 4/0, Cleyton 1/0
ST : D. Cisse 20/20, S. Govou 13/13, L. Garcia 13/7, A. Petropoulos 6/1
goals ——— Cisse 18, Katsouranis 4, Christodoulopoulos 3, Ninis 3, Petropoulos 2, Vyntra 2, Boumsong 1, Garcia 1, Gilberto Silva 1, Kante 1, Spyropoulos 1
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(Vladimir Rys/Getty Images)
