Olympiakos welcome Bayer Leverkusen back to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in a UEFA Champions League Round of 32 tie with both sides eyeing a deep knockout run. The Greeks come in as rank 18 with 11 points, but with strong recent momentum (form WWWLD in the league standings) and a solid home record: just one loss in four home games and only five goals conceded. Leverkusen, ranked 16 with 12 points, have been slightly more consistent overall (3 wins, 3 draws, 2 defeats) and travel well, losing just once in four away fixtures.
The key storyline is whether Olympiakos can repeat January’s statement 2-0 home win over Leverkusen in the league stage. The visitors’ main attacking weapon in Europe has been Álex Grimaldo, who has 4 goals and 1 assist from midfield, but they arrive without injured contributors like Nathan Tella and goalkeeper Mark Flekken. Olympiakos, meanwhile, have a long absentee list including Mehdi Taremi and Yusuf Yazici, stretching their attacking depth.
Expect a tight, tactical contest, with Olympiakos’ home resilience tested by Leverkusen’s balanced away form and Grimaldo’s creativity.
