Olympiakos vs Porto, Champions League Build Up

Olympiakos vs Porto, 

Champions League Build Up 

Do or Die 

By Stephen Kountourou

The term, 'saving the best until last' springs to mind when looking towards this week's final Champions League group stage fixtures. Despite most teams assured of their places in their respective groups, whether that be a place in the round of 16, a hard fought stay in European football at Europa League level, or a capitulation in finishing 4th, there are a few circumstances in this seasons Champions League, still to fight to the bitter end for. For Olympiakos, quite frankly it is do or die. After a hugely disappointing defeat at the hands of VAR, and Marseille, Thrylos still mercifully find themselves in 3rd place on goal difference, with the chance of finishing in that place still very much in their hands as they host group runners up Porto on Wednesday night.

The job for Pedro Martins men is simple. A win is a must to almost guarantee themselves European football. A draw or a loss would mean Olympiakos would have to hope Marseille either match that result against Manchester City. If all of these situations do not go the way of Erythrolefki, they could be facing the prospect of no European football in the new year, for the first time since that subpar 2017/18 season. So, this week on what could be my final European build up blog, I will be taking a look at Olympiakos must win match vs Porto, as Thrylos attempt maintain their undefeated home record against the Portuguese champions and more importantly qualify for the Europa League Round of 32 on the final game of the group stage, as they have done on the last two attempts.   

Last Time in the Champions League….

Olympiakos

Previously on Match Day 5, the stage was set for Olympiakos to cement 3rd place and continue their slim hunt for 2nd place in Group C, against a Marseille side that, while looked good domestically, had the worst record of any side who had previously played in European football. At first it seemed as though the Thrylos script was going as planned as Mady Camara, rifled home a fantastic effort passed the half hour mark to put his side 0-1 ahead away at the Stade Velodrome. After half time Olympiakos had 45 minutes to hold their lead and claim a famous away win, but sadly that was not to be the case. After a slow start to the second half, Pape Cisse tripped Florian Thauvin in the box and after checking the monitor, the referee awarded a penalty. Dimitri Payet stepped up and slotted home to draw Marseille level. 

 

After that, Les Olympiens were able to gain some momentum, preventing Thrylos from creating much else and regaining the ball after some poor passing from their opponent. Despite the momentum shift, Olympiakos looked as though they could hold on to the draw and at the very least qualify for the Europa League with a game to spare. However, in one of the most controversial moments of the match, Rafinha, in a moment of madness attempted to protect his face with his hands from the ball, which is perfectly legal according to the official rule book, and despite standing just outside the box, VAR pulled the referee and a second penalty was awarded to OM. Payet stepped up again, and just like before he beat Jose Sa and put his side 2-1 up against Olympiakos. After some late chances and penalty calls in favour of the Greek Champions waved away by the referee, the match finished with a hugely bitter defeat for Thrylos. The only consolation for a dejected looking Olympiakos side at the end of the match was that they remained 3rd place thanks to goal difference. The final match against Porto has now become more crucial than ever, if Olympiakos want to keep their European adventure alive.    

 

Porto

For the Dragons it was a far more straightforward Match Day 5. Despite being dominated in all areas of the pitch, including possession and shots, Porto were able to do what Olympiakos could not, and hold City to a 0-0 draw at home. The result means that both sides have guaranteed themselves 1st and 2nd respectively and a place in the Champions League Round of 16. 

How Both Teams have Fared Domestically 

Olympiakos 

After the disappointing loss midweek, It was expected that Pedro Martins would rest key players against Volos, ahead of the Porto game, as well as responding with a win. The match could not have started worse for the Greek Champions, as Mohamed Drager was forced off the pitch with a hip injury. Pedro Martins men were dealt another blow when Ba, starting ahead of Cisse, conceded a penalty in the first ten minutes of the first half, which was well taken by Jean Barrientos to put the Thessaly side 1-0 up at the Karaiskakis stadium. 

Thrylos struggled to string two passes together for much of the half, with possession carelessly lost, only to give their opponent the opportunity to counter attack. Toward the end of the added minutes before half time, and minutes after a close chance by Masouras was well saved, Olympiakos found a much needed equaliser. Bouchalakis received the ball at the edge of the Volos box and, after seeing the run of Masouras, chipped in a lovely cross, which found the flying header of the Greek winger who, despite colliding with goalkeeper Thanasis Garavelis, found the back of the net in the process.

 

After a couple of changes in the early part of the second half, Olympiakos began to find a bit of rhythm and eventually put themselves into the lead, after Mady Camara found El Arabi, who ended his goal drought with a low curling shot passed the keeper to put his side 2-1 ahead. Firmly in the driver's seat not, Thrylos pressured for a third but still gave away the ball at times in silly areas, something that has and will be punished against better opposition. 

Eventually Olympiakos asserted themselves and with ten minutes of regular time still to play, El Arabi found his second goal of the game, after a pass from Fortounis found the Moroccan striker to make it 3-1. With the introduction and debut of Tiago Silva, the signing from Nottingham Forest, put in a lovely cross with El Arabi chest down and lightly finished to make it 4-1 to Olympiakos, his second hat trick of the season, and a first assist for Silva. At the end of the game the score line masked somewhat the performance of Volos and their opponents exploitable areas on the pitch, but Olympiakos can feel a little more confident going into their match against Porto, that they at the very least, have El Arabi firing again. 

 

Porto

The Portuguese champions had an end to end affair with relegation threatened Tondela. Having seen former Olympiakos target Zaidu Sanusi, once again showing why the Greek Champions were interested in the left back, by putting his side 1-0 up at home Tondela responded by going 1-2 up after just over half an hour, only for Porto to find an equaliser three minutes later. After the break two goals in ten minutes put the Dragons 4-2 up but a 2nd goal from Mario Gonzalez with fifteen minutes to go, put the Portuguese champions into precarious circumstances, especially after Porto went down to ten men in added time. They did however, manage to hang on and claim a 4-3 win over Tondela.

Injuries and Suspensions 

Olympiakos 

Although a few players have returned to full fitness for Thrylos, they still have some major absentees going into this game against Porto. As said before, Mohamed Drager hobbled off in the game against Volos on the weekend with a hip injury and could be out for as long as a couple of months. Mathieu Valbuena is also still unavailable as is Bruma and Ahmed Hassan who's health has been affected ever since he tested positive for Covid19 and is unlikely to feature again this calendar year. 

 

Porto

The Dragons for the most part, have a fully fit squad, with the biggest exception being Pepe who is out injured and will be a big loss for them in defence. Goalkeeper Mouhamed Mbaye is also out injured.

Outro and Predictions

To finish, Olympiakos supporters are very familiar with this situation. As I mentioned previously, Thrylos have always saved the best till last in the group stages to progress to the next round, as we saw last season against Red Star Belgrade and the season before that in the Europa League when they defeated AC Milan to reach the next round. Porto have shown as well that why they defended for their lives against Man City, they are susceptible to being caught unawares and conceding as shown in their weekend game in Liga NOS. Their leaky defence could leave Olympiakos with an opportunity to score some goals against a hopefully rotated Porto side, providing Thrylos can put their chances away. El Arabi, with his hattrick and his new contract he signed on Tuesday, has to step up, and show exactly why his club has given him that extension. The team knows what they have to do if they want to continue their campaign in European football. I will put my faith in Olympiakos, for what could be the final time this season in Europe, and say that it will be a 1-0 win for the Erythrolefki, finishing 3rd to qualify for the Europa League round of 32. If not, well there's always next year.  

Hellas Football 

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