Construction work continuing in Piraeus
So far, it’s been a mixed 2018/2019 campaign for Olympiacos, who find themselves in a transitional phase. AGONAsport investigates how the first third of the season has unfurled in Piraeus.
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Olympiacos began the season with a degree of scepticism. Last year drastically lowered expectations, but with Portuguese manager Pedro Martins, the 44-time Greek champions have slowly started to rebuild and play with a united spirit again. In October, the team suffered a sudden drop in form, but ruthless owner Evangelos Marinakis refused to wield the axe on Martins and he does seem eager to finally install some stability.
Let’s analyse how Olympiacos have played in the Super League, UEFA Europa League and Greek Cup:
Super League
As promised, Marinakis gave the squad a huge overhaul in the summer, hoping that an improvement would be witnessed under the guidance of new head coach Pedro Martins. However, with 10 matches in the books, Olympiacos occupy third place of the Super League standings, six points behind leaders PAOK. The Thrylos’ main downfall has been the miserable derby results. When hosting PAOK at the Karaiskakis Stadium, Olympiacos gave an intense performance and created a large amount of clear opportunities, but poor finishing let them down and a comical Jagos Vukovic own goal gifted the visitors a potentially decisive three points in the title race. Olympiacos then threw away a lead against AEK to draw 1:1, and in the Derby of the Eternal Rivals, a spirited Panathinaikos team held them to a 1:1 tie in Piraeus. Senegalese defender Pape Abou Cisse recused a point for Olympiacos in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Overall, Olympiacos have claimed six victories, two draws and two defeats in the Super League, with the second loss coming away at newly promoted OFI in a shock 0:1 setback. At times, the Erythrolefkoi have played some eye catching football and certainly have plenty of spirit, but they lack a prolific goalscorer. Injuries to Ahmed Hassan and Miguel Angel Guerrero haven’t helped, and according to the press, Olympiacos have expressed interest in former AEK forward Sergio Araujo.
In the remaining games of 2018, Olympiacos will play Atromitos (A), Panetolikos (H), Xanthi (A), PAS Lamia 1964 (H) and AE Larissa (H), and given the increasing gap between the Thrylos and first placed PAOK, they can’t afford any further slip-ups. Sunday’s match against the impressive Atromitos is particularly fascinating.
UEFA Europa League
Having finished in third position of the 2017/2018 domestic campaign, Olympiacos had to begin their UEFA Europa League journey in the preliminary rounds, defeating FC Luzern and Burnley in the qualifiers to make the group phase. In Group F with Real Betis, AC Milan and Dudelange, the Greeks are currently in joint second spot, boasting seven points with two matches left to play.
On matchday one, Olympiacos struggled for long periods against a technically astute Betis team, but thanks to excellent goalkeeping from Andreas Gianniotis, they escaped with a 0:0 tie. In the second game, the Thrylos dropped a bitter 1:3 defeat to Milan, conceding three late goals after Guerrero’s pinpoint header had initially given them an advantage. Nevertheless, Olympiacos recovered in the double header against Luxembourg minnows Dudelange, picking up a well-needed six points with a 2:0 triumph away and an emphatic, comprehensive 5:1 victory in Piraeus.
At the moment, Real Betis lead Group F with eight points, Milan and Olympiacos are tied on seven, while Dudelange bring up the rear with nothing to show for their efforts. In order to qualify for the Last 32, Olympiacos need to avoid defeat against Betis in Spain and then defeat Milan at the Karaiskakis in the concluding match.
Greek Cup
Olympiacos actually haven’t won the Greek Cup since 2015, but they’ve made a solid start to the 2018/2019 campaign, easing into the Last 16 after victories against Levadiakos (1:0) and Panachaiki (2:0). They will take on minnows Aris Avato in the final Group 5 game.
At home to Levadiakos, a reserve Olympiacos team never really got going, however a clever header from Dimitris Manos after 68 minutes sealed all three points. Olympiacos then endured a forgettable match against Panachaiki. The team did win 2:0 with Vasilis Torosidis and Matias Nahuel striking the target, but the match was overshadowed by fan trouble in Patras, as riot police clashed with Olympiacos fans inside the Pampeloponnisiako Stadium. Olympiacos escaped punishments for the incident.
