Champions League preview and odds: Olympiakos vs Arsenal

Published on: 06/12/2015

Champions League preview and odds: Olympiakos vs Arsenal

December 08, 2015 19:45pm - Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis

Champions League

Olympiakos and Arsenal will battle it out for second place in Group F of the Champions League when the teams meet at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis on Wednesday night.

Greeks in pole position

Having beaten Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates when the teams met in their first Group F game, a draw would be enough to secure second place for Olympiakos. They will also progress if they lose 0-1 or 1-2, but a defeat by any other scoreline would put them out of the competition.

The Piraeus-based club have won seven out of their last eight Champions League home fixtures with their only defeat coming in this terms group game against Bayern Munich. That loss marked their only home defeat in 31 games in all competitions including friendly matches.

Olympiakos have won their first 12 games of the season in the Greek Super League, setting a new national record in the process.

Gunners need a win

Arsenal must win in Greece to stand any chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. However, they will still go out if they win by a 0-1 or 1-2 score-line. On their last six visits to Greece, they have drawn one and lost four.

The Gunners have yet to win a point on the road in the Champions League this term having fallen to Dinamo Zagreb and Bayern Munich. They come into this game on the back of a 3-1 home win against Sunderland in the Premier League.

Team news

Alberto Botía has returned to the squad after a spell out with a hamstring problem, while Alejandro Domínguez and Giannis Maniatis will both miss out.

Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger continues to struggle with a long list of absentees that includes Alexis Sanchez, Mikel Arteta, Kieran Gibbs, Francis Coquelin, Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck. However, Theo Walcott could return.

Recent form (All competitions)

Olympiakos: WWWLW

Arsenal: WDWLD

Betting odds and tips

Olympiakos have won seven of their last eight games at home in this competition, while Arsenal have won just three of their last nine CL away games and have yet to win on the road in Group F. The Gunners are also missing some key players. The home side can be backed at 13/5 with Bet365.

Published on: 06/12/2015

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (06/12/2015 12:55:31) but are subject to change.