Hellas Football

Olympiakos vs FC Twente: UEFA Europa League matchday six preview By Stephen Kountourou   UEFA Europa League League Phase Matchday Six: 12/12/24 Kick-off Time: 19:45 Greek Time Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium  Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD We have arrived at the final European matchday of the year. Yet, unlike the previous format where this would spell the end of the group stages and a draw or the knockout stages, there will still be two more League Phase fixtures to play for teams in the Champions League and Europa League at the beginning of 2025.  Even after this week of fixtures has concluded, most teams could still have much to play for. Olympiakos could be one of those teams. For the third matchday in a row, Thrylos have the opportunity to secure the top 24 mathematically and then look to seal a place in either the automatic places, the seeded playoff places or, at the very worst, resign themselves to an unseeded playoff place.  But with two draws on the...

 FCSB vs Olympiakos:  Europa League matchday five preview By Stephen Kountourou UEFA Europa League League Phase Matchday Five: 28/11/24 Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time Venue: Arena Naţională Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD There are no easy games in football. Even an opponent that might not seem like much on paper can be underestimated. This is what Olympiakos cannot do on Thursday when they play FCSB. According to @footballmeetsdata, the Romanian champions are the biggest overachievers in the UEFA Europa League League Phase so far this season.  They currently find themselves in an automatic spot for the round of 16. With four matches remaining, a lot can change, but Thrylos will face a stern test when the team travels to Bucharest to play a side that won the old European Cup a long time ago.   Last time in the UEL Olympiakos The Conference League holders hosted Scottish side Rangers at Karaiskaki, both of whom could have secured a place in the Europa League playo...

 What we learnt from Greece vs England at OAKA By Stephen Kountourou A first misstep will not necessarily define a team, and results in the future. That is, as long as the players and the manager learn from past mistakes and move forward.  Head coaches routinely say that you learn more from defeats than victories, and that is what fans of the Ethniki will be hoping after a disappointing night in the Athens Olympic Stadium against England, who ran out 0-3 winners. Ironically this was the result people had expected away in Wembley Stadium, with a few chances for Greece, and England asserting their dominants and running out comfortable winners. We all know what transpired there. But with a 60 thousand capacity OAKA, there was hope that Ivan Jovanvic’s men could perform another miracle, secure the top spot in the group and ensure promotion to League A in the Nations League.  Sadly the Three Lions did not underestimate their opponents this time. A much more functional formatio...

 Heavy victory at Toumba for Olympiakos By Andreas Mitsis Chiquinho was responsible for two goal-scoring performances at Toumba. In a wonderful event between PAOK and Olympiakos, the big club from Piraeus was able to leave Thessaloniki victorious with a 2-3 victory in the bag. Aris, AEK and Olympiakos top the table where all three stand on 21 recorded points after 11 league rounds. The match that stood out during the weekend's 11th league round was the one between PAOK and Olympiakos on Sunday evening (10/11) at Toumba in Thessaloniki. PAOK arrived at the summit from a respectable 2-0 loss to Man Utd in the Europa League earlier this week.  The reigning UEFA Europa Conference League champions Olympiakos in turn also came from play in EL where it was 1-1 at home against Rangers. Thus, the conditions were similar in that respect. Despite the slightly worn teams, we got to see a really great match at a high pace. One of the best so far this season in the league. Olympiakos drew t...

Olympiakos vs Rangers: UEFA Europa League Matchday 4 preview By Stephen Kountourou UEFA Europa League League Phase  Matchday Four: 07/11/24 Kick-off Time: 19:45 Greek Time Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD As the season takes shape, it’s been a mixed start for UEFA Conference League champions Olympiakos. An inconsistent run and a lack of concentration in key moments, whether finishing chances, coming back from a goal down or forfeiting a comfortable lead has cost time in matches, particularly in the league. It has been a very different story on the international stage. Thrylos has played and performed as a champion of Europe should, with no fear or pressure regardless of the opponent. Jose Luis Mendilibar has highlighted in press conferences recently that it partly is due to the space that his team has found on the counterattack in the Europa League compared to Greece, where smaller clubs play much more conservatively against Olympiakos, wh...

 Malmö FF vs Olympiakos:  UEFA Europa League Matchday Three Preview By Stephen Kountourou UEFA Europa League League Phase Matchday Three: 24/10/24 Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time Venue: Eleda Stadion  Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD Northern Europe can be one of the toughest places to travel for any football club. This is not just because there are tough teams that compete in Scandinavia, but because the cold is an element that can be a huge advantage to the host side in European competition.  Thankfully for Olympiakos, the fixtures have been kind to the Conference League holders, who travel to Sweden to play Malmö FF, just before the cold of winter sets in. That is not to say the Swedish champions will be easier to face. Still, Thrylos have one less aspect of this fixture to worry about, as it will be a storm they must weather to keep the momentum of staying in Europe beyond the end of the League Phase. Last time in the UEL Olympiakos After the defeat to Lyon, Me...

 Olympiakos vs S.C. Braga:  UEFA Europa League Matchday Two preview By Stephen Kountourou UEFA Europa League League Phase Matchday Two: 03/10/24 Kick-off Time: 19:45 Greek Time Venue: Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 3 HD There are a few interesting narratives for Olympiakos, as they go into Matchday Two of their Europa League campaign against Portuguese side S.C. Braga.  Firstly there's Carlos Carvalhal, who briefly managed Thrylos last season. The Portuguese coach started well, by qualifying the Piraeus side for the UEFA Conference League, which they would ultimately go on to win with Jose Luis Mendilibar.  The performances were disastrous at the turn of the year. By the end of February, with Olympiakos in 4th place in the league, looking almost certainly out of the title race and with Europe a couple of weeks away, the club let Carvalhal go. After returning to Braga for a 3rd stint he will be looking to prove a point against his former em...

 Olympique Lyonnais vs Olympiakos:  UEFA Europa League Matchday One Preview  By Stephen Kountourou UEFA Europa League League Phase MD-1: 26/09/24 Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time Venue: Parc Olympique Lyonnais Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 2 HD European competition returns for another season and with it some big changes. A new format, more teams, more matches, more football and from a personal perspective, more previews from yours truly.  It is still strange to think that, only a few months ago, the footballing world witnessed Olympiakos lift the UEFA Conference League trophy in Agia Sophia. While it felt like an end of an era, the story of the beautiful game, never truly ends.  Everything is ripped up and starts fresh for the new season, and while as supporters we will never forget the greatest triumph in our club's history, we too must look to the future and what lies ahead. That being the UEFA Europa League. Gone are the group stages, much like the Champions L...

 Greek clubs in Europe 2024/25 By Stephen Kountourou European football is back and with a brand new format, the League Phase. The move away from the group stages, after over three decades from 1991 to 2024, has excited some fans as a welcome change. More games, more teams and more action-packed fixtures between the big boys of the European stage. What's not to love?  Others may roll their eyes at the new format, as it can be seen as a prelude to the much-maligned European Super League, with more fixtures meaning less rest for players. This less competitive format almost guarantees the bigger clubs qualify for the Round of 16 over smaller teams and UEFA perhaps fixing a system that wasn’t broken, to begin with.  Whatever your opinion, it is time for continental football on the European stage again for Greek clubs, with three competing in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League, respectively. But how did Olympiakos, PAOK, and Panathinaikos qualify, and who will th...