Ace Football previews the Europa League game between Olympiacos and Arsenal and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
It has been a little over a year since Olympiacos broke the heart of Arsenal fans after knocking them out of the Europa League.
Both sides meet once again, and the Gunners will be aiming to take revenge on their Greek opposition.
The two sides are likely to set up more conservatively here after conceding a large number of goals in the round of 32. Olympiacos shipped in four goals over the course of two legs vs PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal three goals against Benfica.
The Gunners, in particular, will make themselves difficult to break down and look to utilize the pace of their frontline on the counter-attack. This may lead to both sides canceling each other out in this first leg, so maybe not too many goals on the evening.
Regardless, revenge is on the cards for Arsenal and they will fancy their chances of putting one leg in the quarter-finals of the competition with a victory over familiar foes.
Olympiacos Form and Stats
Olympiakos are undefeated in 20 of their last 22 matches, winning 9 of their last 10 at home. They are 16 points clear of Aris at the top of the Greek Super League and are into the Greek Cup quarter-finals.
Pedro Martins’ side got past PSV in the Europa League round of 32. They won 4-2 at home in the first leg, looked dead and buried in Eindhoven before an 88th-minute strike from Ahmed Hassan saw them go through 5-4 on aggregate.
Olympiakos returned to Greece with a 2-1 win at Volos and 1-1 draw at Aris in the Cup to go through 3-2 on aggregate.
Olympiakos’ last match was a 3-0 home win against Lamia. Bruma, Konstantinos Fortounis, and Youssef El-Arabi scored in the first half in a comfortable victory.
Key Team Stats
- Olympiakos are undefeated in 20 of their last 22 matches (all competitions).
- Olympiakos have won 9 of their last 10 home matches (all competitions).
- Olympiakos are undefeated in 12 of their last 13 home matches (UEFA Europa League).
- Olympiakos have drawn 6 of their last 12 home matches (UEFA Europa League).
Arsenal Form and Stats
Arsenal sit 10th in the Premier League amid an inconsistent season. The Gunners beat Benfica in the Europa League round of 32, winning 3-2 in Greece after a 1-1 draw in Italy.
Mikel Arteta’s side returned to the Premier League with a 3-1 win at Leicester. They fell behind in the 6th minute but struck back with goals from David Luiz, Alexandre Lacazette, and Nicolas Pepe.
Arsenal’s last match was a 1-1 draw at Burnley. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang opened the scoring in a match but a Granit Xhaka mistake proved to be costly.
Key Team Stats
- Arsenal are undefeated in 5 of their last 6 matches (all competitions).
- Arsenal are undefeated in 15 of their last 16 matches (UEFA Europa League).
- Arsenal have won 7 of their last 8 matches (UEFA Europa League).
Team News
Olympiacos: Centre backs Rúben Semedo and Avraam Papadopoulos are injured with Ousseynou Ba and Sokratis Papastathopoulos carrying knocks. Winger Marios Vrousai is also injured.
Arsenal: Arsenal attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe is Arsenal’s only injury concern ahead of the trip to Greece.
Predicted Line-up
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Head-to-head
Olympiakos and Arsenal have met 10 times with 5 wins each. They last met in the 2019/20 UEFA Europa League round of 32.
Arsenal won 1-0 in Greece before going down 2-1 in extra time in London.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
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