Olympiacos is once again donning its European uniform and preparing for a tough “do-or-die” showdown against Nijmegen, with one clear goal in mind. To keep the dream of the stars alive.
Following the 0-0 draw in the first leg in Piraeus against the Dutch side, the “Red-and-Whites” will face Nijmegen on Tuesday night (August 11, 8:30 p.m.), with a spot in the Champions League playoffs on the line—in other words, just a breath away from the group stage of the world’s premier club competition.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
José Luis Mendilibar’s team did not perform as expected in their first match against Nijmegen, and the Basque coach is expected to make several changes to the team’s starting lineup.
It seems unlikely that Lorenzo Pirolá won’t start this time in the “red-and-white” starting 11 this time, while Zota Silva’s outstanding performance as a substitute in the previous match makes him the favorite to start on the right wing of Olympiacos’s attack.
The team’s midfield remains a question mark, as does whether Ese and Sipioni will be ready to dive right into the thick of things from the very first minute of the season, with Dani García, however, lying in wait, also vying for a spot in the starting lineup.
As for Olympiacos’ attacking options, there is talk of Kostas Fortounis, while it’s not out of the question that the highly talented player now wearing the Piraeus club’s jersey—Gustavo Sa—might make his debut.
Olympiacos is clearly not ready yet, as the team’s transfer plans have not yet been finalized, and it is still very early in the season, with the “Red-and-Whites” having played just one official match and still finding their footing on the field.
On the other hand, Nijmegen has never managed to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League in its history and will do everything it can to achieve that. However, they lack the experience needed to pull it off.
On Saturday (August 8), in the Eredivisie opener, Nijmegen lost 2-1 to Telstar, demonstrating just how dedicated and focused they are on the upcoming match against Olympiacos, which is one of the most important in the club’s history.
Possible starting lineups for the match:
Nijmegen: Kreta, Pereira, Vonville, Sandler, Nejasmic, Bissof, Waisa, Monteiro, Lebréton, Cheri, Linsen
Olympiacos: Popovic, Bruno, Pirola, Retsos, Saliakas, Ese, Garcia, Sa, Roca, Silva, El Kaabi
*photo source: KYPE
