Olympiacos vs Arsenal prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Europa League 2020-21
After a dramatic late win against Benfica in the round of 32, Arsenal face a Europa League round of 16 tie against Olympiacos this week.
The first leg is in Greece on Thursday. Olympiacos dramatically knocked Arsenal out of the competition in the round of 32 last season. On that occasion, a late extra-time goal broke the hearts of Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal come into this game having beaten Benfica 4-3 over two legs, which were played in Italy and Greece. They played the "home" leg of that tie at Olympiacos' stadium, and were around 20 minutes away from elimination.
An error from Dani Ceballos allowed Rafa Silva to give Benfica a 2-1 lead and the advantage on away goals. However, Kieran Tierney equalized and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his second goal of the game to put Arsenal through.
The Gunners drew their league game at the weekend against Burnley. Aubameyang gave them an early lead, but an inexplicable error from Granit Xhaka saw the Clarets equalize through Chris Wood.
Olympiacos had a dramatic win of their own in the round of 32, where they beat PSV Eindhoven. After winning the first leg 4-2 at home, Olympiacos were down 2-0 in the Netherlands after two goals from Eran Zahavi.
But Ahmed Hassan scored in the 88th minute to secure progress through to the next round.
Olympiacos are comfortably top of the Greek league at the moment, holding a 16-point advantage over second-placed Aris Thessaloniki FC.
Olympiacos vs Arsenal Head-to-Head
Each team has won five of the 10 games that they have played against each other before this one.
The last meeting between these two sides happened at the Emirates Stadium in 2020. Pape Abou Cisse scored in normal time for Olympiacos.
Aubameyang scored in the 113th minute to put Arsenal on the verge of qualification. However, Youssef El-Arabi scored in the 119th minute to put Olympiacos through.
Olympiacos form guide: W-D-W-L-D
Arsenal form guide: D-W-W-L-D
Olympiacos vs Arsenal Team News
Olympiacos
Centre-backs Ruben Semedo and Avraam Papadopoulos were already out injured. At the weekend, Ousseynou Ba also picked up an injury. That means former Arsenal man Sokratis Papastathopoulos is expected to start against the Gunners.
Injured: Ruben Semedo, Avraam Papadopoulos, Ousseynou Ba
Arsenal
Arteta's only concern is the hip injury that kept Emile Smith Rowe out of the Gunners' weekend draw against Burnley. The youngster is a major doubt for this game as well.
Injured: Emile Smith Rowe
Suspended: None
Olympiacos vs Arsenal Predicted XIs
Olympiacos Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jose Sa; Kenny Lala, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Yann M'vila, Oleg Reabciuk; Mady Camara, Andreas Bouchalakis; Mathieu Valbuena, Kostas Fortounis, Bruma, Youssef El Arabi
Arsenal Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Hector Bellerin, David Luiz, Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney; Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka; Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang; Alexandre Lacazette
Olympiacos vs Arsenal Prediction
Olympiacos will not be an easy side for Arsenal to beat in this game. However, the Gunners carry some excellent momentum into this contest, especially from the wins against Benfica and Leicester City.
We are predicting a narrow away win that puts Arsenal in charge of the tie.
Prediction: Olympiacos 0-1 Arsenal