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 employers. 

Secondly, two former Olympiakos players compete at Braga. The most notable was Andre Horta, who on loan last season in Piraeus, was an instrumental part of the team that won the club their first European trophy. 

The entire summer was spent trying to bring the diminutive midfielder back permanently. But despite the deal reportedly almost going through on multiple occasions, and Braga playing hardball, Horta remained in his native country. Plus with the return of Carvalhal to the club, who had brought Horta to Greece in the first place, the likelihood of signing him became almost impossible. 

Bruma also previously competed for Olympiakos, when he was signed on loan from PSV during the Pedro Martins era. The winger had a solid 2020/21 season in Piraeus, scoring nine, assisting three in all competitions, and winning the Greek Super League title. Thrylos could have signed him permanently, as his loan included an option to buy worth 7 million Euros. However, this was not activated and after briefly playing in Turkey with Fenerbahce, Bruma returned to his native Portugal to join Braga.

These different contexts going into this game, even without discussing both teams' current forms, make for an intriguing match at the Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday night. 

Last time in the UEL

Olympiakos

The Conference League champions faced arguably the toughest fixture of the campaign from the get-go, as they travelled to play French giants Lyon. Despite holding the hosts at bay in a less familiar 3-5-2 formation, and having opportunities of their own to open the scoring, it was Lyon that ultimately came out victorious. Just past the hour mark Rayan Cherki broke the deadlock with a thundering finish past Kostas Tzolakis. 

Five minutes later OL struck again, with substitute Wilfred Zaha’s pass finding Saïd Benrahma who doubled their lead. Thrylos thought they had scored a consolation after Willian’s cross was headed in for an own goal, but the Brazilian veteran was judged to have been offside by VAR at the start of the move. This meant that Mendilibar and his men were defeated 2-0 on the road.

Braga

Os Arcebispos hosted Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv on Matchday one of their Europa League campaign and found themselves a goal down after 30 minutes. A penalty was given, with Osha Davida converting from the spot to put the away side in front. 

The hosts peppered Maccabi throughout, with 31 shots in total. But it wasn't until the end of normal time that Braga finally found the equaliser. Former Olympiakos winger Bruma scored in the 88th minute, and minutes later his side was awarded a penalty which he also converted to make it 2-1. The match ended in victory for Braga with their efforts of getting back into the game rewarded, and with Maccabi being reduced to nine men with two players sent off.

League performances

Olympiakos

Thrylos, after a torrid September, ended the month with a 2-0 win over Atromitos at the Karaiskakis Stadium. Winless in three games in all competitions, it was imperative that Mendilbar’s men got back on track before the matches against Braga and Panathinaikos. The Basque coach rolled the dice and gave starts to youngsters, Charalampos Kostoulas and Christos Mouzakitis, which ultimately paid off. 

Although there were still issues with chance creation, it was a much more positive display from Olympiakos in front of their home fans, even with a couple of scares from the Atromitos counterattack. A few minutes before the break, Kristoffer Velde won a penalty for the hosts, with Rodinei, who was playing on the wing for this match, converted to put his side 1-0 up. 

New signings Sergio Oliveira at the number ten and Costinha at right back caused a lot of issues for the Peristeri side throughout, with Mouzakitis a breath of fresh air in midfield. The 17-year-old topped off an excellent senior debut with a wonderful assist for the substitute Ayoub El Kaabi, looping the ball over the Atromitos defence. The Moroccan striker controlled it well before smashing it past the keeper to make it 2-0 and effectively end the away side's hope of getting a result.  

Braga

After their first match in Europe, Braga hosted one of Evangelos Marinakis’s other teams, Rio Ave. Carvalhal’s men scored twice in seven minutes during the first half, with goals from Gabri Martinez and Ismael Gharbi, before Andre Horta’s brother Ricardo and Bruma added two more in the next 45 minutes. Despite Rio Ave having chances of their own, it ended up being a comfortable victory for the hosts.

Competitive record against Portuguese clubs

This will be the first encounter between Olympiakos and Braga, but they have faced clubs from Portugal a total of 19 times winning eight, drawing two and losing nine. 

As this particular match will be played at home for the Conference League holders, their record when hosting Portuguese sides is a positive one. In seven matches, the Piraeus side has won seven and lost only three, with 15 goals scored and nine conceded. 

Calm before another potential storm

September was a tough month for Olympiakos. The previous international break killed the momentum of their early season form and Jose Luis Mendilibar had to spend that time attempting to tackle the lack of creativity of his team and dealing with injuries to key members of the first team.

The victory over Atromitos, while there were still issues creatively, did bring some much-needed calm to the club and the fan base. New signings and youngsters showed a much better standard to the point where there is genuine talk of Christos Mouzakitis starting in this all-important Europa League match. 

With a Matchday One loss to Lyon, Mendilibar and his players know that if they have any hope of getting a playoff place after eight games, the matches in front of their home fans are simply must-win games.

 

@SteveKountourou

Hellas Football