Olympiacos Piraeus – Ferencvaros : Preview & Prediction
Olympiacos finished third in their UEFA Europa League group (G2, E1, P3), and their reward for finishing behind West Ham and Freiburg is this Europa Conference League knockout round play-off. Now coached by Jose Luis Mendilibar, the man who led Sevilla to Europa League success last season, they come into this clash against Ferencváros on the back of an emphatic 4-0 league win over OFI Crete.
That should inspire some confidence, as should the Europa League group stage wins over West Ham (2-1) and TSC (5-2). However, they probably can’t take much from their past performances against Hungarian teams, as their only previous meeting – a 2-2 draw here against Ferencváros – was in the 1996/97 UEFA Cup, in a two-legged tie in which they lost 5-3 on aggregate.
Ferencváros, unbeaten in the Europa Conference League group stage (G2, E4), have more to say in that regard, having faced Greek opponents eight times in European soccer and dominated those clashes (G4, E2, P2 – excluding one win by forfeit). Currently battling for supremacy in Hungary’s top flight with Paks, they began 2024 on a run of three straight wins in which both teams scored, which could be a concern as they look for a solid defensive performance.
The Green Eagles have not recorded one in Greece for some time as their last two visits saw them lose without being able to score after conceding three and four goals to OFI Crete and AEK Athens, respectively, in the late 1990s. Most encouragingly, they have never lost an away game in the Europa Conference League (G4, E2), scoring an even number of goals in the five games in which there were goals.
Players to watch: Ayoub El Kaabi scored five goals in Olympiacos’ home games in the Europa League this season, scoring his team’s first goal on three occasions. Ferencváros’ Barnabas Varga has scored five goals in his last two games, including three goals in less than five minutes against MTK.
Key stat: Only one of Ferencváros’ matches in the group stage of European competitions this season featured a goal before the 20th minute.
Olympiacos Piraeus – Ferencvaros : Betting Tips
Olympiacos Piraeus – Win Odds: 1.90
