Olympiakos vs FK Čukarički:  Europa League Playoff Preview

 Olympiakos vs FK Čukarički: 
UEL Playoff Preview



By Stephen Kountourou 




Match Day: 24/08/23

Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time

Venue: Giorgos Karaiskakis Stadium

Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 1 HD


They’ve done it again. Olympiakos have guaranteed themselves European football for another campaign after Thrylos edged past Belgian side Genk in the 3rd qualifying round.



The victory over two legs ensured at least the Europa Conference League group stages. But Diego Martinz men are not looking to settle for that.



All eyes now are on the playoff tie with Serbian side FK Čukarički in a bid to reach the Europa League group stages. 



Despite the Piraeus side's opponent perhaps not carrying the same reputation or quality on paper, Olympiakos must be focused on not taking the Serbian side for granted if they wish to reach Europe's second competition, not only for the quality of football but for the financial benefit as well.



As said before, Olympiakos were handed a tough tie against Genk after the Belgian club suffered a shock exit from the Champions League qualifiers at the hands of Swiss side Servette.



In the 1st leg, Thrylos made the perfect start with Kostas Fortounis putting the hosts ahead after 23 seconds. The fastest goal in the Olympiakos' history in Europe. 



After nearly doubling their lead on numerous occasions and with the late drama of Genk nearly equalising, but for the heroics of Alexandros Paschalakis & Panos Retsos, the Piraeus side took a narrow 1-0 lead to Belgium.



The second leg was more of a struggle for Thrylos. Genk levelled the tie in the first half through Joseph Paintsil, after the Ghanaian missed a penalty and scored after the ensuing deflection.



Diego Martinez made the necessary changes in the 2nd half and Olympiakos started to gain some momentum to find the goal that would put them back in control of the tie. Thrylos were handed a lifeline after Genks goalscorer Joseph Paintsil was sent off for a dangerous challenge and the hosts went down to 10 men. 



Two minutes from injury time, substitute Sotiris Alexandropoulos scored to make it 1-1 and 2-1 on aggregate to wild celebrations and in doing so sent Olympiakos to the Europa League playoffs.



This result also guaranteed UEFA Conference League group stages should Olympiakos be knocked out of the upcoming playoff tie.



As for Serbian side FK Čukarički, they are yet to play any European matches as they qualified for the Europa League playoffs by finishing 3rd in the Serbian SuperLiga. 



Olympiakos in Europe has played Serbian clubs a total of six times. But this will be the first encounter Thrylos has with FK Čukarički.



Previously Olympiakos have faced off against the likes of Partizan Belgrade with one win and one draw, FK Rad with one win and one loss and orthodox brothers Red Star Belgrade with one win and one loss.



This equates to three wins, one draw and two losses which means that Olympiakos has a positive win rate against Serbian clubs. Thrylos in those matches scored 10 and conceded eight to a positive goal difference of +2.



At home, the Piraeus side is undefeated with a record of two wins and one draw. Away unsurprisingly is a different story with one win and two defeats in Serbia.



As for FK Čukarički, this will be the first time the Serbian side will be playing Greek opposition in their history. 



On paper, this is very much a winnable tie for Olympiakos. and they can consider themselves the favourites to progress past FK Čukarički over two legs.



However, Thrylos must not underestimate their opponent as they have been punished in the past in the qualifiers for taking for granted the superior quality of their squad on paper. 



If Diego Martinez can guide his new side to the Europa League group stages, in a convincing manner, it will be a huge step forward for a club that is looking to kickstart a tough campaign in the right way.  


@SteveKountourou 


Hellas Football 


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