FC Barcelona vs Olympiacos F.C.

Barcelona ended a run of back-to-back competitive defeats [WWLLW] with a dramatic 2-1 win over Girona at the weekend in LaLiga, a result that should restore some belief ahead of their UCL return. Hansi Flick’s men had lost narrowly to reigning European champions PSG 1-2 in their last UCL home outing, but the Catalans can draw encouragement from the fact that they have never lost multiple home games in any single European Cup or UCL group-stage campaign. This fixture is the third competitive meeting between Barcelona and Olympiacos, with the previous encounters taking place in the 2017–18 group stage. The Spanish giants triumphed 3-1 in the home leg before playing out a goalless draw in Piraeus, results that underline their historical dominance over the Greek outfit. Barça’s focus will be on maintaining their strong home record in Europe, where they’ve lost just once in their last 12 group-stage games [9W, 2D, 1L]. The Blaugrana have also scored in each of their last 17 UCL home fixtures, underlining the attacking threat that continues to define their game even during injury setbacks. The hosts have a lengthy absentee list, including the likes of Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo.  Toni Fernández may start upfront in a 4—2—3—1 formation.

For Olympiacos, the task ahead could hardly be more daunting. Still without a goal in this season’s UCL league phase, the Greek champions travel to Spain chasing a piece of history—no Greek side has ever won on Spanish soil in the competition [0W, 4D, 17L]. Their record away from home in the UCL group stage makes for grim reading too, with 11 straight defeats [0W, 0D, 11L], all of which saw them concede at least twice. José Luis Mendilibar’s men did manage a confidence-boosting domestic 2-0 win at Athlitiki Enosi Larissa at the weekend to return to winning ways [WWLLW], but their European struggles remain stark. Thrylos have scored just once in their last seven UCL fixtures, though a resilient backline has helped them keep seven clean sheets in their previous 11 European outings. The main concern lies in attack, where they’ve attempted 28 shots this season without success, hitting the target only six times [21%]. Gabriel Strefezza is ruled out. A 4—2—3—1 formation may be seen with Ayoub El Kaabi starting up front.