Freiburg – Olympiacos Piraeus : Preview & Prediction
A perfect start to their UEFA Europa League (UEL) Group G campaign has made Freiburg a team to watch this season, and another win here will guarantee them top spot in the group. Scoring 11 goals and conceding just one shows that they have put up quite a fight in their four UEL victories, which is even more impressive considering that this campaign alone has equaled the number of wins they achieved in their European history in the past (G4, E6, P6).
The Christian Streich-led side should be full of confidence as they are coming off a 2-0 home win over Werder Bremen over the weekend and with that they managed to stay in the top three of the Bundesliga. Therefore, the Europa-Park Stadion will be buzzing with activity as they prepare to host a Greek opponent for the first time in their history — hoping to repeat the 3-0 win over Olympiacos in Piraeus on matchday two of this group stage.
Olympiacos has had a campaign to forget so far, as it remains winless so far in the UEL (E1, P3) and knows the best it can hope for is a third-place finish and entry into the UEFA Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs — and even that would require Qarabag to beat Nantes in the other Group G match if Olympiacos is to stay alive for that goal until the final matchday. However, it’s hard to see where Olympiacos can threaten offensively to even accomplish that, as their only goal in the group stage was an own goal against Nantes, making them one of just two teams in the competition that hasn’t scored (excluding own and set-piece goals).
The red-and-white side secured an away win in domestic action over the weekend, beating Panetolikos 2-0 to cap a three-match unbeaten away streak (G2, E1). However, that respite could be short-lived considering their record against German opponents recently, losing each of their last ten matches, including a 3-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt in the group stage of this competition last season.
Players to watch: Freiburg’s Vincenzo Grifo recorded a goal and an assist in his most recent match, and has now scored each of his last four goals at the Europa-Park Stadion. Meanwhile, Olympiacos may need Cédric Bakambu to break out of their slump – the striker scored four of his last seven goals for the club after the 75th minute.
Key stat: Freiburg have scored 10 of their last 12 goals during the second half.
Freiburg – Olympiacos Piraeus : Betting Tips
Freiburg – Win Odds: 1.75
