AEK coach Marko Nikolic said the Greek Super Cup match against Cretan club OFI is a final his team must win, not a rehearsal for the Champions League. He spoke at a joint press conference in Crete on August 11, 2026, ahead of the match between the Greek champions and the Greek Cup winners.
Nikolic, the Serbian coach of AEK, said he was happy to be in Crete, calling it a beautiful island with many AEK supporters. He said all countries hold a Super Cup before the start of the season, and that he was pleased the Hellenic Football Federation had scheduled it that way this year, ahead of European matches, whereas in other countries it is played during the season under different conditions.
Nikolic previews the match
Nikolic said the squad was healthy and had trained well, but that friendlies were different from official matches. He said the game would start at 50-50, that AEK would have the backing of at least 7,000 fans, that the pitch was not in good condition and that weather conditions would be difficult. He described OFI as an excellent team with a very good coach, which he said would make AEK's job harder. He said details would decide the match and that whoever avoided giving away chances and fought for every ball would win, a message he said he had already given his players. He noted that 30 years had passed since AEK's last Super Cup title, calling it extra motivation.
Asked about potential pressure on the team, Nikolic cited his friend Zelimir Obradovic, who has returned to Athens, as saying that what happened in the past belongs to the past. Nikolic said he was focused only on the next day's match, that the squad had extra motivation and was fully concentrated, and that AEK would rely on keeping a low profile just as it had the previous year. He called the match a celebration for football, a title match that AEK respected as part of the competition, and said the team needed to give 100 percent and have a bit of luck to win the trophy.
Criticism of the young-player rule
Nikolic rejected the idea that the Super Cup was a dress rehearsal for the Play Offs, saying AEK was competing for a trophy, not running a test. He also addressed a rule requiring clubs to field two Greek players born in 2004 or later throughout Super Cup and Greek Cup matches, a change he suggested had been applied too abruptly. He said changes of this kind are normally announced a year in advance so clubs can adjust, adding that AEK was ready and trusted all of its eligible players, but that the rule should have been announced earlier to give teams time to prepare.
Praise for Kontis and AEK's future
Nikolic praised OFI coach Christos Kontis, saying he respects him without limit and that Kontis knows this personally. He ranked Kontis among the top Greek coaches, saying he had proven it both at OFI and in his previous job at Panathinaikos.
On his own spell at AEK, Nikolic said he enjoys every moment at the club, which is why he renewed his contract. He said he and his staff had talked at length about what the team achieved last season, but that it belonged to the past. He said he and his associates had experience winning trophies in other countries, that expectations rise and it becomes harder to stay at the top, and that he tries to stay grounded, a mindset he wants to pass on to everyone at the club. On transfers, Nikolic said he loves his players, calling them the best in the world, and said he was ready to celebrate with them, but declined to discuss transfer business, saying the press conference was for talking about the Super Cup.
Mantalos wants fans of both clubs
AEK captain Petros Mantalos represented the players at the same press conference, discussing his goal of winning a sixth title with the club and the fact that the stadium will hold supporters of both AEK and OFI.
Asked whether he missed having a Super Cup among his honors, having already won three championships and two cups with AEK, Mantalos said a title is always welcome and that the team was in Crete to win it. He said he does not pay attention to the number of trophies and that the squad is focused on giving its best to take the Super Cup.
Asked about playing in a stadium with fans of both clubs present, Mantalos called it logical, saying the situation has reached a point that once seemed unlikely. He said all players want to play in such stadiums, and that the officials responsible need to find a way to return the situation to normal smoothly. He said he personally missed watching matches with fans of both teams in attendance.
Asked where the trophy would be decided, Mantalos said it is the first official match of the season for both clubs, and that he expects a very good game between two teams that both want to win. He said the side that is hungrier and more clinical in front of goal will take the title.
