Olympiakos vs Maccabi Tel Aviv: Conference League Round of 16 Preview

Olympiakos vs Maccabi Tel Aviv: 

Conference League Round of 16 Preview 

By Stephen Kountourou

UEFA Conference League Round of 16 first Leg: 07/03/24

Kick-off Time: 19:45 Greek Time

Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium 

Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD

As we enter the business end of the season, things are hotting up in all competitions for Olympiakos. The playoffs will make for a tight affair for the big four in Greece, with only four points separating first and fourth. Thrylos also have reignited their hopes of a run in Europe, having knocked out Hungarian champions Ferencvaros in the Conference League playoffs, to qualify for the Round of 16. 

With another favourable draw, and the chance to reach their first European quarter-final since the 1998/99 season, the team standing in Mendilibar’s men is a familiar foe to the Piraeus side. Maccabi Tel Aviv. The team that caused heartache for Olympiakos supporters 13 years ago. 

The scars of the past make this tie a much tougher prospect. But it is one where Thrylos, under the Basque manager, can finally defeat their demons.

Last time in the UECL

Olympiakos

Thrylos took their slim lead to Budapest for the second leg against Ferencvaros. In an almost mirror-image performance, Mendilibar’s team successfully nullified the Hungarian side to only one shot on target in 90 minutes.

After getting close to breaking the deadlock through two misses from Fortounis and Podence, the referee awarded a penalty to Olympiakos just before halftime due to a handball in the box. Ayoub El Kaabi, the scorer of the winning goal in the first leg, stepped up and comfortably slotted home to make it 0-1 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate. 

With good game management from the Spanish coach and an excellent team performance, Thrylos prevailed to qualify for the Round of 16.

Maccabi Tel Aviv

After finishing third in the 2022/23 edition of the Israeli Premier League, the Yellows qualified for the Europa Conference League second qualifying round where they comfortably knocked out Moldovan side FC Petrocub Hîncești. 

Maccabi narrowly edged past Cypriot side AEK Larnaka in the third qualifying, and comfortably defeated Slovenian team NK Celje in the playoffs, to reach the group stages. 

They were drawn in a favourable group containing Belgian side Gent, Ukrainian side FC Zorya Luhansk and Icelandic side Breiðablik. Robbie Keane's team comfortably topped the group, winning five, losing only once to Gent in Belgium, and qualifying directly to the Round of 16. 

Their last encounter 

As is well known at this point, Greek clubs have an abysmal record against Israeli opposition. Olympiakos is no exception. Still to this day, arguably the biggest defeat, with regards to importance, was against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League qualifiers in the 2010/11 season. Thrylos, despite winning 2-1 at home, lost 1-0 away in Tel Aviv, and due to the away goal ruling, Maccabi progressed to the next round. 

This meant that Olympiakos failed to qualify for Europe, which was a true embarrassment for a club that prides itself on its record for consistently reaching the European stage every season.

League Performances 

Olympiakos 

Thrylos was faced with the prospect of playing three matches in seven days to end the Greek Super League regular season. With potential slip-ups for Mendilibar’s men, the Basque coach rotated the team for every fixture to give players both ample playing and recovery time. 

Both in the games against Asteras Tripolis and Panetolikos, Thrylos came back to win 2-1, thanks to the tactical changes and game management of Mendilibar. The final game of the regular season against Volos was different, however. 

After an early sending-off from a Jean Barrientos high boot on Giorgos Masouras, Olympiakso dominated proceedings, with Ayoub El Kaabi in a rich vein of form, scoring a brace and substitute Stefan Jovetic sealing the win with a third. The victory put Olympiakos into third place, only three points behind PAOK in first going into the playoffs. 

Maccabi Tel Aviv

Robby Keane’s men also played three games in the last seven days, first narrowly beating Hapoel Beer Sheva 1-0 and an Israel State Cup win over Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa FC 3-1. The latest match was back in the league last weekend against midtable Maccabi Petah Tikva. 

In a comfortable 4-0 win, Legendary midfielder Eran Zahavi opened the scoring in the seventh minute before doubling their lead through Dor Peretz. Milson killed the game with a third and Gavriel Kanichowsky scored with six minutes of normal time to go to make it 4-0, taking Mccabi to first over the champions Maccabi Haifa. 

Interview with Israeli Journalist Daniel Levy 

I had a chat with Israeli football reporter and content editor, Daniel Levy, about the upcoming match.

 

How is Olympiakos perceived in the Israeli media going into this game?

“The Israeli media understands that Olympiakos is not in its best days and of course, everyone remembers the elimination against Maccabi Haifa from the Champions League qualifiers a year and a half ago, but it is still more experienced than Maccabi Tel Aviv in these situations and its value is not underestimated.”

What is the expectation from Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in the Conference League this season?

“Maccabi's fans are very happy that the team reached the round of 16 and believe that Olympiacos can also be passed, but the absence of a home due to the war and the great desire to return the championship to Israel after 3 years that Maccabi Haifa won, a championship for them will, of course, be more critical.”

How does Robby Keane like to set up his team and what brand of football do they play?

“Robbie Keane plays in 4-4-3 with a strong link and an attempt to play fast of course and reach the opponent's goal. When Milson was in the African Championship, the team entered a big crisis and after holding a gap of 10 points, they lost points and now they and Haifa have the same number of points. 

Now that Milson is back Maccabi looks excellent again, wins more easily, also breaks through dense defences from the wings. If she gets stuck, then she's in a bit of trouble because she doesn't have a link player who excels in assists. In the league, Zahavi also leads here with 6 assists and is a striker.”

Which key players should Olympiakos watch out for?

“Eran Zahavi has not been in good shape lately, but he is the greatest striker in Israel in the last generation, in the last week he scored 3 goals and broke a long streak in the league, so he is always dangerous, and Milson, the Angolan winger, is very significant for Maccabi.”

Time to set the record straight?

Olympiakos are entering this game in the best possible way. In just under a month Thrylos have convincingly won seven games in a row in all competitions including the double over Ferencvaros and the 1-4 win against PAOK in Toumba. 

Mendilibar, in the team's most recent training session, tempered expectations of the players, saying that they have the potential to be champions and progress far in Europe, as long as they keep the focus for what is now the final stretch that could make or break their season. 

If the Piraeus side can play to the standard Mendilibar expects, and what the team is capable of based on the player's talent, then they may finally have their revenge on Maccabi Tel Aviv while also continuing their excellent run of form. 

@SteveKountourou

Hellas Football