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 League and Conference League and in its place is the “League phase.” Eight matches, four home and away and eight different opponents. 

The first of which, might already be the toughest of the lot, from the clubs the Piraeus side drew at the end of August. French giants Olympique Lyonnais is where Jose Luis Mendilibar and his squad must travel on Matchday One. 

After winning one of their first 14 games and hovering dangerously close to the relegation places, Lyon recovered, only losing four more games and rocketed up the Ligue 1 table to snatch the final Europa League spot and finish in 6th place. This qualified OL to the League phase automatically 

It is the job of the Conference League holders and Jose Luis Mendilibar to pick up where they left off, this time in UEFA’s second competition and show their opponents why Olympiakos were crowned as a champion of Europe last season.

Recent results

Olympiakos 

Thrylos returned from the international break hoping to continue their good start to the season. To say that the complete opposite happened was an understatement. Mendilibar’s men in the two matches against Panetolikos and Aris were predictable, lacked ideas, imagination and the ability to score from any meaningful chances created. 

Panetolikos successfully held Olympiakos to a 0-0 draw in Karaiskaki, with the home side registering 66 crosses in 90 minutes, to no avail. The next week, in Thessaloniki, the Piraeus side was mostly outclassed, losing 2-1 with El Kaabi grabbing a mere consolation in added time. 

There are caveats to both games. Olympiakos’s XG was superior in both fixtures and they had meaningful enough chances to have at least secured a narrow win at home and a draw away. The poor refereeing played a hand in both results, albeit not enough to be the defining factor. At the end of the day, Thrylos simply weren't good enough and Mendilibar has a tall order to turn the team's fortunes around against a much tougher opponent this Thursday night.

Lyon

The French side goes into this game off the back of the same results post the international break as Olympiakos. A 0-0 draw away to Lens was followed by a narrow defeat at home to Marseille in the Derby des Olympiques (Derby of the Olympics). 

OL thought they had salvaged a point in added time, with Rayan Cherki making it 2-2, only for Johnathan Rowe to score the winner two minutes later to give the OM a dramatic victory over their rivals. 

Competitive Record

Thrylos have had a mixed record against clubs from France, with 32 games played 11 wins, three draws and 18 losses. Against Lyon in particular, Olympiakos has faced them six times, winning two and losing four. Both victories and one defeat came in Karaiskaki, with the most damning stat of all, they have never got a positive result in France against them, with three defeats in total.

Make or break for the season?

In some ways, this match is almost a free hit for Olympiakos. Lyon is arguably the hardest opponent on paper that Thrylos will have to face, and as it is Matchday One, there will be plenty of opportunities to get points elsewhere if worst comes to worst in France on Thursday night. With eight matches now in the new Europa League League phase, the Piraeus side will need a minimum average of nine points to finish anywhere from 9th to 24th, which would secure a place in the playoffs.

The caveat is the context in which Mendilibar and his players enter this game. After the draw to Panetolikos and loss to Aris in the league, alarm bells have started ringing in Piraeus. Another game without a win, and another subpar performance, would be seen as a disaster by the club hierarchy. 

Injuries to Giorgos Masouras and Gelson Martins have caused Thrylos to start looking at the free-agent market, with Adam Ounas agreeing to join. This is even though the player in question, will not be able to compete in Europe and will probably not be a match-fit for a few weeks after joining up with the squad. But that's another story.

Fans of the Conference League champions can cling to the hope that this scenario could be exactly what the club needs. Lyon also come into this game in poor form, worse so than Olympiakos arguably as they have only won once in the league this season so far. 

Thrylos take advantage of this, for the sake of getting their season back on track with a win. The supporters want a response, so Olympiakos must deliver, or risk being plunged into more discourse. 

@SteveKountourou

Hellas Football