Olympiacos Piraeus – Qarabag : Preview & Prediction
Olympiacos, Greece’s sole representatives in European competition this season, have not been great ambassadors for their country after losing both of their matches to start their UEFA Europa League (UEL) Group G campaign. Now rooted to the bottom of the table, those two defeats made it five defeats in a row in UEL group stage or knockout clashes for the Greeks, while conceding 11 times and scoring just twice in that span shows there is room for improvement in all areas.
However, former coach Míchel’s re-election paid off instantly as they picked up their first win in four games at the weekend (E1, P3), proving that the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is never an easy place to visit. The Piraeus club are set to face Azerbaijani opposition for the third time when they host Qarabağ here for the first time, after winning 1-0 both home and away against Neftçi last season.
Qarabağ have also faced Greek opposition just twice before, beating PAOK in both UEL group stage meetings in the 2016/17 campaign. This being their ninth consecutive season in the group stage of a European competition, Qarabağ got their campaign back on track after an opening-day defeat, recording their biggest home win in a UEFA group stage fixture by beating Nantes 3-0 on matchday two.
That result helped the Horsemen now find themselves galloping on a run of four successive wins. However, they will need all the confidence they can muster to counter a mediocre away record in UEL group stage matches, having won just four of their 18 such clashes.
Players to watch: Olympiacos defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has fond memories of playing against Qarabağ, winning both of his games against that opponent, keeping a clean sheet and scoring a goal when playing for Arsenal. However, Qarabağ’s Owusu could be a threat to that record, as his side have been unbeaten when he has been on the scoresheet (G3, E2).
Weekend stat: There have been goals in both halves in six of Olympiacos’ last seven matches.
Olympiacos Piraeus – Qarabag : Betting Tips
Olympiacos Piraeus – Win Odds: 2.25
