Olympiacos boast undefeated record against Swiss opposition
Taking into account Olympiacos’ record against teams from Switzerland, they certainly have plenty of reasons to be confident coming into the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie with FC Luzern. AGONAsport investigates further.
Watch LIVE from AGONAsport Olympiacos' first leg matchup against Luzern in UEFA Europa League qualifying on Thursday, August 9th. Details here.
Tomorrow, the Thrylos return to competitive action in the 2018/2019 campaign, preparing to play against FC Luzern in the Europa League third qualifying round. It won’t be an easy ride for Olympiacos with dogged opponents, but when glancing at the club’s previous results against Swiss clubs, the Greeks’ status of favourites is enhanced even further. In four matches against Neuchatel Xamax and Young Boys, Olympiacos have claimed two wins and two draws, never swallowing the bitter pill of defeat.
Let’s take a closer look at those matches:
September 19, 1984. Olympiacos - Neuchatel Xamax - 1:0, UEFA Cup first round
34 years ago, Olympiacos met with Swiss opposition for the first time in competitive history, pitted against Neuchatel Xamax in the first round of the 1984/1985 UEFA Cup. In front of their home fans in Piraeus, the Thrylos made the perfect start, as Anastasios Mitropoulos’ towering header was just too hot for the opposing goalkeeper to handle. Neuchatel Xamax almost equalised when a low attempt smacked the upright, but Olympiacos calmly saw out proceedings to take a slender lead into the return fixture in Switzerland.
October 3, 1984. Neuchatel Xamax - Olympiacos - 2:2, UEFA Cup first round
Holding a 1:0 advantage from the first match, the Piraeus outfit were in the box seat for the second match on the road, however Robert Luhti levelled the aggregate score in the first half. Olympiacos were struggling to find their groove, but Nikolaos Anastopoulos came to the rescue, grabbing a crucial away goal. Neuchatel Xamax did score again to make it a grandstand finish, however Anastopoulos killed the match as a contest once and for all in the final minute, sliding the ball beyond the goalkeeper after he escaped the defence’s attentions.
In the second round of the UEFA Cup, Olympiacos were knocked out 0:2 by Romanian outfit Universitatea Craiova.
September 15, 2016. Young Boys - Olympiacos - 0:1, UEFA Europa League group stage
For the opening match of Group B in the Europa League, the Erythrolefkoi travelled to Bern to play Young Boys, a game which was a potential banana skin for Olympiacos. Nevertheless, the Greeks made the decisive breakthrough after 42 minutes of play, with Esteban Cambiasso connecting with a pinpoint cross from the right flank. Searching for a leveller, hosts Young Boys did press as the match wore on, but Olympiacos clung on to the winning scoreline.
November 24, 2016. Olympiacos - Young Boys - 1:1, UEFA Europa League group stage
Olympiacos needed to avoid defeat in order to qualify for the Last 32 and while they achieved their goal, it was a rather shaky performance at the Karaiskakis Stadium. Star midfielder Konstantinos Fortounis blasted a glorious free kick into the net to draw first blood for Olympiacos, but Young Boys refused to wave the white flag, netting through Guillaume Hoarau ten minutes later. Young Boys even had a goal disallowed for offside, but they failed to find that all-important second marker.
