West Ham – Olympiacos Piraeus : Preview & Prediction
UEFA Europa League (UEL) Group A will enter its fourth matchday with things fascinatingly set up for a photo finish, as West Ham United lead with six points, tied with Freiburg, thanks in large part to their win in Germany. Meanwhile, their next opponents Olympiacos are third, just two points behind, thanks to their 2-1 win when these two sides met in Greece last time out.
That result left the group wide open, as David Moyes’ men were in control of the group before that defeat which also ended the UEFA Europa Conference League champions’ 17-match unbeaten run in Europe last season (G16, E1), a record for an English side until Tuesday, when Manchester City overturned that run with a win over Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League group stage. That run is due in part to good form at the London Stadium, where West Ham have emerged victorious in 11 of their last 14 European matches (E1, P2), underlining that they are very capable of reversing that result in Piraeus and putting one foot in the UEL playoffs.
But while the “Irons” European record at home will boost their confidence, having won just one of their last six matches in all competitions (E1, P4) will make the home faithful nervous. Olympiacos’ contribution to one of those defeats ended an 11-match winless streak for Thursday’s visitors in UEL proper (E3, P8), and they will now be looking for back-to-back wins in the group stage of the competition for the first time since September 2021.
That result would not only represent a big blow to the bookmakers, but also to the history books, as Olympiacos have only won in three of their previous 19 visits to England (E1, P15). They have underachieved in their last few away games in European competitions, but at the same time, they have proven extremely difficult to beat by drawing seven of their last nine European away games (G1, E1).
Players to watch: Mohammed Kudus loves life in London and has already scored five goals for West Ham, four of them at home and in the second half. Equally enjoying his soccer is Olympiacos captain Konstantinos Fortounis, who has five goals and eight assists in 15 appearances for the club this season, while, unlike Kudus, he scored four of those five goals before the break.
Key stat: Both teams have scored in each of their UEL Group A matches this season.
West Ham – Olympiacos Piraeus : Betting Tips
West Ham – Win Odds: 1.65
