Olympiacos v Dinamo Zagreb: In-form hosts target another win

An upbeat Marco Silva believes his in-form Olympiacos side are ready for their meeting with Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Greek giants continued their impressive Super League form with a 2-0 victory at Veria as they made it nine wins from as many games in their domestic league campaign.

Silva’s men are eight points clear at the top, have scored 26 goals and conceded just four. They take on the Croatian side on the back of a nine-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

Olympiacos’ only defeat this season has come at the hands of Group F leaders Bayern Munich, making it the Greek team’s best start to a campaign since 1979.

With Bayern (six points) and Arsenal (three) doing battle on matchday four, Olympiacos (six) can take a huge step towards the knockout stages with a win at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

Silva has been proud of his side’s start to the campaign and said his players are ready to extend it.

“It is an important element for us. It’s a sign that we are doing a good job. Players work to achieve very good results,” he said after the win over Veria.

“But we know it will not last forever. Our team must be ready to come back for subsequent victories. We are prepared for battle.

“I want to add … that it is not easy [for] a group to achieve victories continuously. Although it is difficult to achieve, I want to congratulate our players.”

While Olympiacos are in form, Dinamo have dropped off.

Zoran Mamic’s side have just two wins from their past seven outings in all competitions and are bottom of Group F.

Despite slipping to third in the Croatian top flight, Mamic has refused to use the demands of playing in Europe as an excuse.

“I do not think that we are paying for playing in the Champions League,” he said.

“We have enough players … and of course we are missing a lot with [Leonardo] Sigali and [Arijan] Ademi that are very important players. Obviously those who are here must give more.”

Veteran midfielder Esteban Cambiasso (calf) is sidelined for Olympiacos, who claimed a 1-0 win when the teams met in Croatia on October 20.

Dinamo have a poor record against Greek sides, losing six of nine previous matches.