Olympiacos aims to defend its “fortress” for the third time in a row. The “Red-and-Whites” host (10:00 p.m.) Sparta Prague for Matchday 3 of the Europa League group stage. They’re looking to extend their winning streak, which now stands at five consecutive victories.
Following their home loss to OFI (0-1) in Imanol’s debut on the bench, the Piraeus side has recorded nothing but positive results. In their Europa League opener, they defeated Jagiellonia 2-1, followed by three 1-0 victories (away against Levadiakos, at home against Panathinaikos, and away against Marseille), as well as a 2-0 win over Panetolikos in Agrinio. With a 2-2 record, they’ve already taken significant steps toward finishing in the top 24 and securing a spot in the intermediate round. They currently sit in 10th place.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“I can’t promise the fans anything regarding the result, but I can promise that anyone who wears the Olympiacos crest will defend that crest in the best possible way,” said Imanol Alguacil at the press conference. “Olympiacos must perform at the highest possible level. Our opponent is a good team with many strong points—their strength, their quality. They’re effective. They like to build from the back; they’re a team that plays smart and has quality—they won’t be an easy opponent,” noted the Basque coach.
Sparta Prague is coming off a 0-0 draw at Ostrava in the league, while in Europe they drew 1-1 against Lillestrøm. In their season opener, they defeated Ararat 4-1 on the road. The Czechs are currently on an eight-game unbeaten streak. The last time the Czechs lost was on September 6, a 2-1 defeat to Hradec in the league. In the Europa League, Sparta sits just below Olympiacos, in 11th place.
Olympiacos will be without the injured Fortounis, while it is almost certain that Bailey will also miss the match. It should be noted that Marius, Roca, Sipioni, and Popovic are off the roster.
For Sparta, winger Mercado (the team’s leading scorer) and center back Sevinski were ruled out almost at the last minute. The absences of Karabets (attacking midfielder) and Rines (winger) are already known. So (defender) returns.
Olympiacos (Imanol Alguacil): Ortega – Salikas, Retsos, Pirolá, Tiknizian – Froiler, Puerta – Zelsson, Chikini, Zota – Yaremchuk
Sparta Prague (Brian Briske): Surovčik – Höver, Gudal, Gudal, Sukomel – Irving, Manswerk – Jurásek, Sočurek, Singlatech – Brunes
Referee: Espen Eskas (Norway)
Assistant Referees: Jan Erik Engan (Norway) and Alf Olav Rosland (Norway)
Fourth Official: Rohit Saghi (Norway)
VAR: Luca Piretto (Italy), AVAR: Marius Lien (Norway)
*photo source: AP
