AEK vs Bolton preview: Basinas, Kyrgiakos, Arruabarrena left out

By: Chris Paraskevas | August 8th, 2008

It’s a real shame that Basinas and Kyrgiakos won’t be lining up for us against Bolton this evening, as I’m sure all AEK fans are looking forward to their respective debuts. It would have been ideal to see the pair in action against strong opposition but Donis has obviously taken the sensible route and allowed the two international team-mates enough time to settle into their new surroundings without potentially upsetting their physical state.

One wonders though, what exactly they were doing during pre-season at their respective clubs if they are not yet match-fit and with a vital UEFA Cup qualifier against Omonia only a week away. It’s a sharp contrast to the readiness of Sebastian Leto at Olympiakos, who is already challenging club legend Predrag Djordjevic for a starting place.

To be fair, the circumstances for the arrivals of the respective players is different. Leto is highly valued at Liverpool and it seemed as though everything was being done to keep hold of the player. Basinas and Kyrgiakos by contrast, were released by their respective clubs during the summer…

In any case, the Bolton friendly will provide Donis with his toughest test so far. The side showed against a poor Ankaragucu outfit that they are capable of scoring goals but they have otherwise been lethargic and disjointed for the most part of their pre-season. A win against Bolton will send out a warning signal to the Athenian rivals - a significant act, considering the gavroi have churned out some decent performances against strong opposition during per-season - whilst a loss will come as a huge blow to the side’s confidence…

Just a quick note also on the omission of Rodolfo Arruabarrena from the squad, which is surely a sign that the Argentine is on his way out of the club soon.

Squad to face Bolton: Saja, Arabatzis, Edson Ramos Silva, Juanfran, Alexopoulos, Georgeas, Majstorovic, Koutroumanos, Gentzoglou, Rikka, Tachtsidis, Kafes, Pliatsikas, Lagos, Zorbas, Pavlis, Burns, Hetemaj, Rivaldo, Blanco, Scocco.