Olisadebe meets his guardian Engel

Three conceded
The Greek side conceded three goals to give them a mountain to climb in tonight's Athens return, and with the Alpha Ethniki season starting on Saturday with a derby at home to Olympiacos CFP, the pressure on Alberto Malesani's men could not be more intense.

Olisadebe stumped
The 26-year-old Olisadebe, who joined Panathinaikos from KSP Polonia Warszawa, was at a loss to explain his team's sudden decline in Krakow. "It's difficult to explain what happened after our goal," he said. "Wisla played very well and they were fair winners. However, we still hope to qualify."

Injury ravages
Their chances of scoring the two goals necessary to turn the tie have been boosted by Olisadebe's return to form. After injuries almost completely wrecked his last two campaigns, he has enjoyed an excellent pre-season and has been recalled to Pawel Janas's Poland squad.

'That's unbelievable!'
Not that such good omens were any comfort after the match. "We lost and the fact I scored does not make me feel better," said Olisadebe. "Still, it could prove decisive in the second leg. We acknowledge the mistakes we made and we'll try to improve in Athens. It is very unlikely Wisla will be as lucky as they were in the first leg: they had three shots and scored three goals. That's unbelievable!"

Polish mentor
The Wisla tie reunites Olisadebe with his footballing mentor, the visitors' trainer Jerzy Engel. As Poland coach, Engel persuaded the Nigerian-born Olisadebe to take Polish citizenship in order to play for the national side.

Focal point
However, there will be no divided loyalties in Athens. Malesani has put his faith in Olisadebe, making him the focus of the Panathinaikos attack since Michalis Konstantinou's departure for Olympiacos, and with something of a crisis elsewhere in the team, he will be eager to prove his worth.

Absent friends
Malesani has been short on luck in the run-up to the game. Argentinian playmaker Ezequiel González is suspended; Ioannis Goumas, Alexandros Tziolis and Mikael Nilsson are injured; while Hungarian striker Sándor Torghelle, a new loan signing from Crystal Palace FC, was not registered in time to compete.

Major changes
However, the coach was keen not to put too much pressure on his remaining players. "This summer we made many changes to the squad and started building a team for the next five years," he said. "We said goodbye to a number of players and welcomed many more, most of them very young.

Temporary hitch
"However, all big changes have one considerable enemy - time," added the Italian, who arrived from Modena Calcio in February. "Tuesday's match is important from a psychological point of view. If we qualify, it will boost our morale, but our season will not end on Tuesday."

Long view
A sell-out crowd in Athens may disagree, but Malesani maintains that the odd poor result in the short term will pay off in the long run. "Years ago, Manchester United [FC] made big changes to their squad," said Malesani. "The results were not apparent immediately, but when they came, they had a lasting effect."