Prediction: Arsenal vs Olympiakos

Verdict: Arsenal to score in both halves

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Unibet

Simply looking to finish off the job on Thursday evening and progress their Europa League adventure, Arsenal will welcome Olympiakos to an empty Emirates.

Arsenal

Starting with the hosts, after picking up a 3-1 victory out in Greece in the first-leg last week, Arsenal will know that they already have one foot in the quarter-finals of this year’s Europa League. Simply looking to avoid a similar collapse they suffered against Olympiakos on home soil last year, there is no doubt that the mood in Mikel Arteta’s camp should be at a real high. Coming from behind against bitter rivals Tottenham at The Emirates on Sunday afternoon, the midweek hosts eventually picked up a deserved 2-1 victory and North London bragging rights. Still looking to mount a European charge in the Premier League this season, Arsenal are unbeaten in each of their last five matchups across all formats, winning four of those appearances. Although The Gunners might find themselves sat in pole position on Thursday night, Arteta will be hoping for his side to make some improvements at the back. Arsenal have failed to record a single clean sheet in any of their last 10 straight fixtures.

Team News

After controversially being left out of the North London derby on Sunday, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is expected to be handed a recall in midweek.

However, in a real hit for the Premier League outfit, starlet Bukayo Saka has suffered a hamstring injury and will miss out on Thursday evening.

Olympiakos

As for the visitors, while Olympiakos might have managed to pull off that dramatic Europa League upset in North London last season, the Greek giants face a stern test on foreign soil. Suffering a 3-1 defeat against Arsenal when the Premier League outfit visited The Karaiskakis Stadium last week, Pedro Martins’ men have shown some recent issues over the past month. While Thrylos might have long since defended their Super League crown, a 3-1 win against Larissa over the weekend was just their third win in their previous seven matchups across all formats. Just about managing to scrape their way through to the Round of 16 after an action-packed 5-4 aggregate win against Dutch side PSV, the one-time Rio Ave boss has seen his squad show some problems on foreign soil. Including a 2-1 defeat when they travelled to Holland on February 24th, Olympiakos were also hit with a 1-0 loss when they made the trip to Premier League outfit Wolves back in August.

Team News

After missing the first-leg last week, the duo of Ruben Semedo and Avraam Papadopoulos will once again miss out in North London.

Fellow defender Ousseynou Ba also appears to be a doubt due to a back issue.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off in the first-leg last week, Arsenal picked up a 3-1 win at The Karaiskakis Stadium.
• The Gunners are unbeaten in each of their last five matchups across all formats, winning four of those contests.
• However, Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 10 matchups.
• Olympiakos have suffered back-to-back Europa League defeats on foreign soil, including a 1-0 loss against Wolves back in August.
• Thursday’s guests have seen five of their last six matchups finish with over 2.5 goals.

Conclusion

While Olympiakos might have managed to secure that dramatic late winner in North London last year, it is hard to see another upset in the capital on Thursday evening. Coming from behind and grabbing a 2-1 win against bitter rivals Tottenham over the weekend, there is no doubt that the mood in Arsenal’s camp is at a real high. Although Mikel Arteta will be calling on his side to make some defensive improvements after failing to record a clean sheet in any of their last 10 straight fixtures, The Gunners will simply be looking to finish off the job in midweek. With Thursday’s Greek guests showing some issues over the past month and suffering back-to-back Europa League defeats on foreign soil, we’re backing a fruitful evening for Arsenal.

Verdict: Arsenal to score in both halves

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Unibet