Asteras Tripolis, the ‘rising star’ from the South of the Greek mainland, with an interesting history of structuring and restructuring over the past 80 years, will be one of the three clubs representing Greece in the UEFA Europa League this season. This is the second time the club will be participating in a European competition and, after an impressive season, the bar is set high for Asteras’ progress through it.
The club has been playing in the Super League since the 2007-08 season after an impressive four-year promotion race from the forth division. As a newly promoted club, Asteras was then the first club to beat all big four clubs (AEK Athens, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos, PAOK), in its first top tier league season. Since joining the ‘top flight’, Asteras have managed to progress, from the bottom of the league table to a top club, ranking third in the 2012/13 season. Even though their first appearance in a European competition was only because AEK Athens was denied a licence to participate, their second appearance this season has been very well earned. Now, only the future can tell what this club can achieve.
Source: DSG
