Six preseason friendlies locked in, Ajax the headline
Mendilibar now knows the roadmap. Olympiacos announced six preseason friendlies on Tuesday, with Ajax the standout name on the list (1) (3). The Dutch giants confirmed it from their side too (3).
The full slate: Raków Częstochowa, Leuven, Fortuna Sittard, Ajax, Antwerp, and AZ Alkmaar (1). A mix that gives Mendilibar real tests before the competitive fixtures begin. Kostinha, Kalogeropoulos, Biancon, Cabella, Nascimento, Strefezza, Yazıcı, and Bruno will all get minutes as the squad takes shape.
Kyziridis on the radar, but so is everyone else
Olympiacos are tracking Hearts forward Kyziridis, the 25-year-old who has drawn interest from every big Greek club (4). PAOK, AEK, and Panathinaikos are all watching the same player. Clubs from Italy are circling too. No bid yet, just a name to keep an eye on (4).
Fan reactions
The preseason list has fans talking, but not as loudly as the Moustapha Fall story doing the rounds on Greek basketball forums. A PAOK subreddit thread is buzzing about the former Olympiacos center potentially joining their rivals. One commenter noted Fall would bring leadership alongside Nick Calathes, a strange sentence for any Olympiacos supporter to read. See the discussion here
