Olympiakos vs Antwerp: Europa League Preview

Olympiakos vs Antwerp: 

Europa League Preview

By Stephen Kountourou 

European competition is back! Now that the qualifiers are done and the domestic leagues have also begun to take shape continental football has also returned to bring joy to all teams fortunate enough to compete in any of UEFA’s three tournaments. Teams from all across the continent will compete in the group stages from now until December to decide who will reach the knockout stages, who will drop down into the next competition down and who will be leaving far too soon. Olympiakos fans will be hoping that the latter option does not happen this season, as the Greek champions begin their European campaign against Belgian side Royal Antwerp. 

This will be a stern test for Thrylos who have not quite found their identity as a team under Pedro Martins this season. Many have called this a must win game if Olympiakos have any hope of competing in Europe to any capacity in the new year and I agree with those sentiments. So for this week, I will be previewing Match Day 1 in Piraeus, looking back on both sides in their domestic league over the weekend. I will also take a look at their previous record against sides of the opposition nation, any injuries and suspensions for Thrylos and finally, my very inaccurate prediction of that might unfold.   

How both Teams did Domestically 

Olympiakos 

Thrylos were finally able to start their Super League campaign as they hosted Atromitos in front of a packed Piraeus crowd. Pedro Martins set out his side in a 4-4-2, something he had attempted to implement in pre-season. But now with Tiquinho back from injury to join El Arabi up top, there was an expectation that the goals would come from this strike partnership. Throughout the first half, Olympiakos looked a little out of sorts still but there were clear signs of improvement from the European qualifiers and pre-season. The only thing missing from Thrylos' performance were goals. 

Atromitos themselves had a couple of decent chances themselves to shock the champions, but overall it was the home side that dominated the match. Toward the end of the second half, many golden opportunities were all squandered by Pedro Martins' men leaving fans and the Portuguese coach extremely frustrated at the lack of conversion from his players. The match ended 0-0 after over 7 minutes of added time.  

Antwerp

The oldest club in Belgium, after a rather average start to the season, travelled to play away to high flyers Eupen. After it finished all square at halftime, the first ten minutes of the second half saw a penalty given to Antwerp. Swiss striker Michael Frey stepped up to take it, missed from the spot but scored the ensuing rebound to put his side ahead against the home side. From that point, both sides played out the rest of the game and after full time it was Antwerp that claimed a tough 0-1 victory on the road. 

Previous Record Between the Two Sides

This is the first time for both teams going into this match as neither side has ever played each other in a competitive fixture before. This will be the first Greek opponent Antwerp have ever faced in their history. For Olympiakos however, they have encountered Belgian opposition in the past during several European campaigns. 

Thrylos first played a team from Belgium way back when in the 1974/75 edition of the European Cup where they faced Anderlecht. Unfortunately, Erythrolefki would lose the first leg in a 5-1 smashing and despite a comeback 3-0 in Piraeus it was not enough to see them through to the next round, and they bowed out to the Belgian giants. 

It would not be until the more recent 2009/10 season that Olympiakos would face a team from Belgium again. This time it was in the UEFA Champions League group stages where Thrylos were drawn into a group containing Standard Liege. Both sides took points from one another as Olympiakos won 2-1 in Piraeus but lost 2-0 in Liège. It was Olympiakos who prevailed out of the two sides in the group, however, in reaching the Champions League Round of 16.

Just a few seasons later, Olympiakos would once again be drawn in a UCL group containing  Anderlecht. Thrylos would have their most successful season in facing a Belgian side with a 0-3 victory away thanks to a hattrick via Kostas Mitroglou and a 3-1 win in Piraeus to send the Greek champions to the Round of 16.

The most recent encounter came during the 2015/16 edition of the Europa League Round of 32 in a rematch against Anderlecht. Sadly this was not a successful tie for Thrylos as they went on to lose the first leg 1-0 away before also being defeated 1-2 in Piraeus in extra time.

When looking at Olympiakos' record against Belgian sides as a whole, it’s pretty mixed. Over 8 matches in European competition, the Piraeus side has won 4, drawn none and lost 4, making it an even record. 13 goals have been scored by Thrylos with 11 conceded giving them a +2 goal difference against teams from Belgium.

 

Injuries and Suspensions

At the time of writing Olympiakos have a couple of key absentees for Thursday nights match. Giorgios Masoruas, after missing the international break, is still out with an injury. Kenny Lala is also unavailable with an illness and Thanasis Androutsos is also a doubt to feature.

Prediction

While this has been built up as a game Olympiakos should win, Antwerp cannot be underestimated. They have a range of individually talented players who can hurt Thrylos in all areas of the pitch. Despite the disappointment of drawing on the weekend, there were positives to take from the Atromitos game and one that the team have to take with them this Thursday if they have any hope of winning. 

If they perform as they did in creating chances while keeping a solid defence, and this time actually converting those chances, then the Greek champions can beat this Antwerp team. If they start the game slowly and look devoid of ideas even before halftime, then it’s going to be a long night for Thrylos and their supporters. I, as always, will be hoping for the best as that is what should be expected. 

I will predict a 2-1 win for Olympiakos and Pedro Martins men starting their Europa League campaign right. 

Hellas Football 

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