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Arsenal will look to beat the odds and qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League from Group F as the second-placed team behind Bayern Munich on Wednesday night when they travel to Greece to take on Olympiakos.
Currently in Group F, the German champions are already assured of a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League – with a tally of 12 points already – even if they lose to Dinamo Zagreb, which is very improbable. Olympiakos occupy the second spot with 9 points from 5 games, whereas Arsenal have just 6 points from their five games.
Olympiakos know that a point or more will be enough to guarantee they qualify from the group along with Bayern Munich. Even if Arsenal win the game 1-0 or 2-1, it will still be the Greek team who will progress. Olympiakos have been dominating their domestic league and after thirteen games played, they have already opened up a gap of 13 points at the top.
In their five Champions League games, they have won three and lost two, both the losses were to Bayern Munich.
In order to qualify, Arsenal must win the game by a two-goal margin or upwards of a 3-2 scoreline. The two opening group game defeats away to Dinamo Zagreb and at home to Olympiakos have really cost the Gunners. Arsenal have not travelled well in the Champions League this season and their recent away form has also been poor, losing three and drawing one of their last five away matches.
Here is the preview of the game at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis where Arsenal will be facing a hostile atmosphere.
Kickoff and Live Telecast
Channel: Ten Action
Live Stream: tensports.com
Date and Time: Wednesday, 9th December 2015 – 19:45 GMT ( Thursday, 10th December 2015 – 01:15 IST)
Venue: Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, Piraeus.
Team News
Olympiakos are without both Giannis Maniatis and Andreas Gianniotis for this huge Group F tie. Forward Felipe Pardo is also a doubt for the hosts, but defender Alberto Botia made a comeback to the first team recently and could slot into the back four alongside Dimitrios Siovas.
It could be a crucial result for their manager, Marco Silva as the league title has been a foregone conclusion for many past seasons, therefore their board has been looking to target greater success in Europe.
Former Leicester City midfielder Esteban Cambiasso has shaken off his injury worries and is expected to start ahead of Luka Milivojevic in central midfield.
Arsenal will be without at least seven first team players on Wednesday, with star players Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla out with long term injuries. Defender Kieran Gibbs returned to the bench against Sunderland and played a part after coming on as a substitute.
Theo Walcott made his return from a calf injury in the home win against Sunderland after over a month on the sidelines and may be in line for a starting role ahead of Olivier Giroud though the Frenchman did net at both ends as he scored an own goal.
Calum Chambers is reported to be in line for a start ahead of Mathieu Flamini in an anchoring role for which he has been training for several weeks. Whereas, Aaron Ramsey will play in the central midfielder role like he did against the Black Cats.
None of the remaining seven Arsenal players on the sidelines are in contention for a berth against Olympiakos, meaning Joel Campbell will be given a further opportunity to impress against the club where he impressed on loan.
Probable lineups
Olympiakos (4-2-3-1): Roberto; Elabdellaoui, Botia, Siovas, Salino; Kassami, Cambiasso; Fourtunis, Pardo, Seba; Ideye.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal; Flamini, Ramsey; Campbell, Ozil, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Giroud.
Form
Olympiakos have got back to winning ways in Greece after being thumped 4-0 away to Bayern Munich last Champions League matchday. They have maintained their 100 percent winning record in their domestic league – the Greek Super League – by winning all their 13 games. With a 4-3 win at home to bottom side Panthrakikos, the Greek outfit remained at the top of their table with 39 points from 13 games, creating a gap of 13 points at the top of the table.
In their last five games in all competitions, Olympiakos have won four and lost just the one game. Whereas, in the last 10 games since they beat Arsenal at the Emirates, Olympiakos have only lost once away to Bayern and have won all the remaining nine games. Their home form should be a worry for Arsenal.
Last 5 games: W-W-L-W-W (Last match: Olympiakos 4-3 Panthrakikos)
Arsenal climbed to the second spot in the Premier League after the round of matches at the weekend as they beat Sunderland 3-1 at home. After a disastrous November, in which their only victory came in the Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb, the Gunners will be hoping of having a better December in which they take on title-rivals Manchester City as well.
A 2-1 defeat to West Brom was the worst possible return from the international break for Arsenal. It continued what is now developing into a dire run of form for the Gunners. Arsenal have now won just one of their last five, conceding 11 in the same period. They have lost two games in the meantime, drawing two and winning just the one against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Last 5 games: D-L-W-D-W (Last match: Arsenal 3-1 Sunderland)
Key Stats
- Arsenal have lost all three previous Champions League away games against Olympiakos in Piraeus.
- The Greek side are currently unbeaten in six home Champions League ties against English opposition; winning five of those games and drawing one.
- The Gunners will progress ahead of their Greek opponents if they win this game by at least two goals; a 3-2 win would suffice because of their superior goal difference.
- Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 of their last 12 away games in the group stage of this competition.
- Arsenal have never failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League since the inception of the new format in 2003/04.
- Olympiakos will reach the last 16 if they avoid defeat; a 0-1 or 1-2 loss will also be enough for the Greek side.
- The hosts have won 15 of their 18 competitive matches this season, losing only to Bayern Munich (twice).
Key Battles
Konstantinos Fortounis vs Mathieu Flamini
It is fair to say that the visitors will be on the back foot for large portions of this encounter and will require every bit of their lost resilience to blunt the Olympiakos attack, which has been at its fluid best in recent times. Since the starting of the new season, Olympiakos have been outstanding, with Fortounis, Ideye and Pardo noticeably flourishing in attack for the hosts.
Under Marco Silva, Olympiakos will be dependent on Konstantinos Fortounis to lead his side by creating the attacks, and making darting runs into the box to utilize the space left between the Arsenal defenders and midfielders. Arsene Wenger will assign the job to control the Greek to his experienced midfielder, Mathieu Flamini.
The Frenchman has been left to fill the boots of Coquelin and Cazorla in central midfield. He now faces a daunting task of keeping a check on Olympiakos’ starman. The ability to kee the hosts quiet will decide the game. If Arsenal are to win and qualify, they need their central midfield to work.
Mesut Ozil vs Esteban Cambiasso
The German magician has been one of the mainstays for Arsenal this season. His passing ability has helped the Gunners secure second spot in their league table. With 12 assists and 2 goals in the Premier League, Ozil has been in top form. Olympiakos will be wary of the threat the German will pose on Wednesday night. The likes of Esteban Cambiasso and Patjam Kasami will be expected to stop the Gunners’ starman from creating chances for the visitors.
With Esteban Cambiasso returning from injury, and in the ranks of the hosts, there will be an interesting contest between the two celebrated midfielders. Cambiasso lacks the speed to run with strikers and clear the danger, but Ozil is not the quickest, and coach Marco Silva will expect his veteran midfielder to do the job.
Prediction
Arsenal can do it as they have done in the past, most noticeably beating Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Allianz Arena two seasons ago. But it will all depend on how they start the game. Wenger will not want to slip into the Europa League. Therefore, the only option they are left with is giving their all. Even though the injury situation is a dramatic one, we can expect Arsenal to score two goals with Walcott and Chamberlain giving them another dimension with their speed.
Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud can be expected to score on the night. I see Arsenal scoring their two goals and holding on to grind out that important win by a margin of two goals. They have done it before, they will do it again.
Predicted score: Olympiakos 0-2 Arsenal
Betting odds (bet365)
Olympiakos – 13/5
Draw – 14/5
Arsenal – 21/20
