Betdistrict.com
Olympiakos will play host to Arsenal in a straight up qualification game of the Champions League Group F. Arsenal needs to win by two goals in Greece, or by 1 goal if they score at least three times – otherwise Olympiakos will qualify from the second place. Bayern Munich and Dinamo Zagreb have already finished 1st and 4th respectively.
Oly is having a season to remember, as the Greek giants have won all their matches with the exception of two losses against Bayern and a draw in the Cup. That’s 17 victories, 1 draw and 2 defeats in all competitions, including 3 wins in a row since losing 0-4 in Munich two weeks ago. One of the best matches Olympiakos played in this campaign was the 3-2 win in London, where they showed some excellent counterattacking football and deserved their win, even if Arsenal was maybe a bit unlucky and uninspired (particularly with team selection).
Early losses to Olympiakos and Dinamo Zagreb have put a big dent in Arsenal’s Champions League hopes, but a home win over Bayern and a 3-0 success over Zagreb in the last round have allowed the Gunners to be in with a chance in this last match – and they don’t even depend on other results. Wenger’s side needs to win by 2 goals here or by a high scoring 1 goal win (from 3-2 upwards). Arsenal did not play great recently, a few guys got injured and there’s an overall sense of uncertainty, but they got a key, morale boosting 3-1 win over Sunderland over the weekend.
Bet on Olympiakos vs. Arsenal with the best Champions League odds at 1xBet.com.
Team news & lineups:
Gianniotis and Maniatis are unavailable for Oly, with Pardo also a doubt. Arsenal will have to do without Wilshere, Welbeck, Sanchez, Arteta, Ospina, Rosicky, Cazorla and Coquelin.
Olympiakos: Roberto – Elabdellaoui, Botia, Siovas, Masuaku – Milivojevic, Kasami – Seba, Fortounis, Durmaz – Ideye
Arsenal: Cech – Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal – Chambers, Ramsey – Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Campbell – Giroud
Despite Olympiakos playing top football this season and Arsenal missing some key guys, the Gunners remain favorites for this match. Arsenal obviously has superior quality, they have the experience and are also perfectly suited for the current situation after they were in a similar circumstance last year – losing 3-1 at home to Monaco, but almost qualifying after winning 2-0 away.
This time Wenger won’t experiment with team selection, as he got burned earlier in the group. With all the injuries, Arsenal can still field a competitive first 11 and I will back them to record a win tonight. It won`t be easy, but the key factor is that Olympiakos would be more than satisfied with a 0-1 or 1-2 loss and they are actually likely to use a gameplan to play for a draw – taking a narrow loss as a margin for error.
My tip is Arsenal to win. A braver punter could take Arsenal to qualify, though it’s obviously a much, much tougher proposition. Prediction: Olympiakos – Arsenal 1-2.
Pick: Arsenal
Odds: 2.08 @ 1xBet
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 7.56
Event date: 9 December
