Sports Mole previews Tuesday’s Champions League clash between Olympiacos and PSV Eindhoven, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Searching for their first win in the Champions League campaign, Olympiacos Piraeus welcome PSV Eindhoven to the Karaiskakis Stadium on Tuesday.
The Greek giants have picked up just one point from their opening three league-phase outings, and that result places them fourth from bottom, while the Dutch side sit 16th with four points to their name.
Match preview
After difficult trips against a couple of this season’s Champions League favourites, Olympiacos reconvene in front of their fans looking to make home advantage count this time following their goalless draw against debutants Pafos in the opening fixture.
Taking something from the Emirates against Mikel Arteta’s stringent, well-balanced Arsenal side was never a thought many would have entertained, and indeed the Thrylos left empty-handed after conceding two unanswered goals.
A trip to Catalunya against an already wounded Barcelona did not make the run-off fixture any more pleasant, as Olympiacos were made the scapegoat for Barca’s matchday two setback; the visitors crumbled 6-1 to Hansi Flick’s side, who were far more ruthless than cautious.
Now facing a race against another early exit, having been eliminated in the Champions League group stage in the last five campaigns they have participated in, taking maximum points cannot be over-important for Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men, especially with Real Madrid next on the card.
Entering this one, the Greek champions can take heart from their only previous meeting with PSV at Karaiskakis, a 4-2 triumph at that saw them eliminate the Dutch side in the 2021-22 Europa League knockout round on a 5-4 aggregate.
That result in Piraeus is further evidence to Olympiacos’ home dominance against Dutch clubs, having won five of their seven continental encounters with teams from the nation — drawing the other two — while keeping clean sheets in five, and this should serve as an extra boost for a side in good form.
The Thrylos enter Tuesday’s match with victories in each of their last three outings, the most recent being a 2-1 success over Aris Thessaloniki, with the result lifting Mendilibar’s men to the top of the Super League table pending the time PAOK plays their own matchday nine game.
PSV are even in a greater vein of form, with last Friday’s 5-2 league success over Fortuna Sittard marking a fifth straight win across all competitions and leaving the Boeren second in the standings, behind leaders Feyenoord only on goal difference.
Peter Bosz’s men have now gone eight outings without defeat (D2), the last such coming in their disappointing 3-1 loss against debutants Union SG in their opening fixture of the Champions League campaign.
However, picking up a point away at Bayer Leverkusen in a 1-1 draw on matchday two felt more like an improved display from the Boeren, who switched into full gear in their next continental match, putting six past Napoli to mark the first time they had scored as many in UEFA’s first-tier club competition.
That 6-2 victory at the Philips Stadium means PSV have won seven of their 16 (D6, L3) Champions League group/league phase games, a run that has seen the Red and Whites reach the knockout round in the last two editions.
Achieving that feat once more might come through the wringer for Bosz’s men, who will still travel to Premier League sides Newcastle United and Liverpool, alternating with home matches against Bayer Munich and Atletico Madrid.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s trip against a side that has not lost in their last eight home matches on the continental front does not make the run of fixtures any easier for PSV.
Olympiacos Champions League form:
Olympiacos form (all competitions):
PSV Eindhoven Champions League form:
PSV Eindhoven form (all competitions):
Team News
Francisco Ortega and Santiago Hezze appear to be Olympiacos’ only regulars on the treatment table, though the latter was not expected to feature in this game, having received a red card in the previous continental outing.
Former Wolverhampton attacker Daniel Podence will enter Tuesday’s encounter full of confidence after ending a nine-game goal drought in Saturday’s league win over Aris, with an assist to follow.
Coach Mendilibar could be tempted to use Ayoub El Kaabi and Mehdi Taremi together for the first time in the Champions League after that combination paid off over the weekend, so it would not be a surprise to see the former provide support behind the latter here.
PSV enter this encounter with an almost full squad; Ruben van Bommel (knee) appears to be the only eligible player on the treatment table.
Meanwhile, centre-forward Alassane Plea was not added to the Champions League squad and will continue his recovery from cartilage damage.
Midfielder Ismael Saibari is in the form of his life, having scored 10 goals in his last seven appearances for PSV, including two across the previous two league phase rounds, and would be looking to add to his tally after also netting a brace over the weekend.
Olympiacos possible starting lineup:
Tzolakis; Costinha, Pirola, Retscos, Onyemaechi; Garcia, Maouzakitis; Podence, Taremi, Elkaabi
PSV Eindhoven possible starting lineup:
Kovar; Flamingo, Schoutine, Gasiorowski, Salah-Edine; Saibari, Junior, Veerman; D Man, G Til, Perisic
We say: Olympiacos 2-2 PSV Eindhoven
PSV have struggled defensively in the Champions League, keeping just one clean sheet in their last 19 outings, though they remain explosive going forward, netting 20 times across their last five matches in all competitions.
Olympiacos have also been sharp in the final third, averaging two goals per game across their previous five outings, so both sides are expected to find the net in an encounter that could end in a stalemate, with both teams heading into this clash in high spirits after a run of positive results.
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