Olympiakos vs Slovan Bratislava
UEFA Europa League, KO: 20:00 Aug 4, 2022, Stadio Georgios Karaiskaki
Olympiakos will be looking progress in the UEFA Europa League as they host Slovan Bratislava in the first leg of their third round qualifier. The Greeks will be banking on their experience in European competition to give them the edge on Thursday.
Olympiakos fell to the Europa League after losing 4-1 on aggregate to Maccabi Haifa in the second round of the Champions League. They were disappointing in both legs of the tie, playing out a 1-1 draw in the first meeting before suffering a 4-0 defeat at home.
Although the Greek Super League is yet to kick off, Olympiakos have struggled to find their best form in preseason and the early stages of European competition. Pedro Martins’ men head into Thursday’s clash with just one win from their last eight matches across all competitions.
A solid home record is usually vital to Olympiakos’ campaign and they will be keen to quickly put the defeat to Maccabi Haifa behind them. Having claimed a 1-0 friendly win over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the previous fixture in front of their fans, they will be looking to channel a similar performance on Thursday.
Slovan Bratislava will be disappointed not to have progressed in the Champions League after winning the first leg of their tie with Ferencvaros. They won 2-1 in the first leg in Hungary but suffered a humiliating 4-1 home defeat in the return fixture.
One positive for Slovan Bratislava is that the Slovakian league is already three weeks old and they have made a fine start to their campaign, claiming two wins already. They warmed up for the trip to Olympiakos with a come from behind 4-2 victory over Zemplin Michalovce last Saturday.
Slovan Bratislava have also looked solid on their recent travels with just one defeat from their last four away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent struggles, Olympiakos are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 4/9 with BoyleSports. A victory for Slovan Bratislava is valued at 15/2 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 18/5 by BetVictor.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Olympiakos and Slovan Bratislava.
Players to watch
Youssef El-Arabi often leads the line for Olympiakos and finished as one of their top scorers last season. The forward will be the one to watch for the Greeks on Thursday and is priced at evens with Unibet to get on the score sheet.
Andre Green has made a fine start to the season for Slovan Bratislava, scoring in two of his last four matches. The forward is expected to feature in attack on Thursday and is priced at 8/1 by Paddy Power to find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
Olympiakos and Slovan Bratislava have some attacking quality and both teams could be backed to score at 11/10 with bet365. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 4/5 with William Hill while BetVictor is offering odds of 2/1 for over 3.5 goals.
Given the minimal odds for a straight Olympiakos victory, a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered for more value at 6/5 with Coral.
This UEFA Europa League match between Olympiakos and Slovan Bratislava will be played on Aug 4, 2022 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Olympiakos vs Slovan Bratislava prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
