Olympiacos on a corner as Barcelona visit
Olympiacos FC are quick using out of time if they are to plea in Group D carrying mislaid their initial 3 fixtures – and to revitalise their hopes, they contingency get a certain outcome opposite leaders FC Barcelona.
• Beaten 3-1 in Spain on matchday three, a Greek champions will be incompetent to finish in a tip dual if they remove and second-placed Juventus equivocate improved during Sporting Clube de Portugal, or if Olympiacos pull and Juventus win.
• Barcelona have a limit 9 points and will validate for a turn of 16 if they win and Juventus destroy to kick Sporting, or if they pull and Sporting lose.
Match background
Olympiacos
• The Thrylos won their final home diversion opposite Spanish visitors, beating Club Atlético de Madrid 3-2 in a 2014/15 organisation stage. Their altogether record during home to Spanish clubs is W6 D6 L2.
• That Atlético success was Olympiacos’s initial opposite a Spanish club, home and away, given a 2-1 feat over Real Madrid CF on matchday 6 in 2005/06. Their unbroken record was D1 L5.
• Beaten 3-2 during home by Sporting Clube de Portugal on matchday one, Olympiacos have won usually 3 of their final 12 European home matches (D5 L4).
• Olympiacos non-stop this deteriorate with a 5-3 total success opposite FK Partizan in a third subordinate turn (3-1 away, 2-2 home). They afterwards got a improved of HNK Rijeka in a play-off round, entrance by 2-1 during home and 1-0 away.
• That home feat opposite a Croatian organisation was Olympiacos’s initial in 5 European home games, finale a run of 4 unbroken draws on their possess ground.
• Olympiacos are in a organisation theatre for an 18th time. They lost to Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC in final season’s third subordinate round, a initial time they had missed out on a UEFA Champions League organisation theatre given 2010/11.
• In 2016/17, a Greek side went on to strech a UEFA Europa League turn of 16, falling 5-2 on total to Beşiktaş JK.
• The Piraeus outfit warranted a place in this season’s subordinate rounds by winning their 44th Greek championship in 2016/17 – their seventh in a row.
Barcelona
• The Blaugrana have won 10 of their 13 fixtures opposite Greek clubs, losing two. They are dominant in 3 divided games (W2 D1), given a 1-0 detriment during Panathinaikos FC in a 2001/02 quarter-final initial leg (3-2 aggregate).
• Barcelona’s record divided to Greek clubs is W3 D1 L2. They also mislaid a 1994 UEFA Champions League final in Athens, going down 4-0 to AC Milan.
• Barça have won their final 3 matches opposite teams from Greece, all opposite Panathinaikos, including home (5-1) and away (3-0) victories in a 2010/11 organisation stage. Lionel Messi scored 3 of those goals and was also on aim in a 5-0 thrashing of a Greens in 2005/06.
• The Spanish side are dominant in their final 7 meetings with Greek opposition, home and away, winning six.
• Barcelona were 1-0 victors during Sporting on matchday two though have mislaid 3 of their final 5 divided games in a UEFA Champions League, including a 4-0 improved during Paris in final season’s turn of 16 initial leg and an eventually essential 3-0 quarter-final first-leg detriment during Juventus. They have won 5 of their final 12 divided matches in a competition, sketch dual and losing five.
• This is Barcelona’s record-equalling 22nd UEFA Champions League organisation theatre campaign, and 14th in succession. They final unsuccessful to strech a final 16 in 2000/01, nonetheless they did not take partial in 2003/04.
• The Blaugrana final unsuccessful to swell over a turn of 16 in 2006/07; their final dual campaigns have been finished in a quarter-finals, by Juventus final deteriorate and Club Atlético de Madrid in 2015/16.
Coach and actor links
• Ernesto Valverde had dual stints as Olympiacos conduct manager (2008/09 and 2010–12), heading them to 3 Super League titles and dual Greek Cups. Assistant manager Jon Aspiazu and aptness tutor José Antonio Pozanko were with him during Olympiacos and have followed him to Barcelona.
• Alberto BotÃa assimilated a girl ranks of Barcelona aged 14, spent 3 years in their B side and done his solitary comparison coming in a final Liga diversion of 2008/09, a 1-1 pull opposite RC Deportivo La Coruña.
• BotÃa also had spells during Sporting de Gijón (2009–12), Sevilla FC (2012/13) and Elche CF (2013/14). His record opposite Barça was W0 D1 L8.
• Marko Marin and Diogo Figueiras were partial of Sevilla’s UEFA Europa League-winning patrol in 2013/14.
• Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe scored in Legia Warszawa’s 3-3 pull opposite Real Madrid CF in final season’s organisation stage.
• Mehdi Carcela-González is on loan during Olympiacos from Granada CF.
• Have played in Spain:
Saša Zdjelar (RCD Mallorca, 2017)
Karim Ansarifard (CA Osasuna, 2014/15)
Mehdi Carcela-González (Granada CF 2016–17)
• Has played in Greece:
Aleix Vidal (Panthrakikos FC, 2009)
• Have played together:
Nélson Semedo Mehdi Carcela-González (SL Benfica, 2015–16)
Sergio Busquets Alberto BotÃa (Barcelona B, 2007–08)
Thomas Vermaelen Guillaume Gillet (Belgium)