Prediction: Olympiacos vs Fenerbahce

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 7/5

Bookmaker: Olympusbet

Olympiacos and Fenerbahce will kick off their quest for a place in the semifinals of the Europa Conference League on Thursday, as they clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup.

In the previous round, the hosts narrowly edged past Maccabi Tel Aviv to advance to this stage, while their visitors secured victory over Union Saint-Gilloise across two legs to progress.

Olympiacos

Olympiacos resumes their continental campaign aiming to extend their impressive run this season. Their journey began in August in the Europa League, where they navigated past Genk and Cukaricki to secure a spot in the group stage.

Placed in Group A alongside West Ham United, Freiburg, and TSC, Olympiacos couldn’t secure a top-two finish but comfortably clinched third place with seven points. This ensured their passage to the Europa Conference League knockout round playoff, where they faced Ferencvaros.

Under the guidance of Jose Luis Mendilibar, the Greek side triumphed in that encounter with 1-0 victories in both legs, with Ayoub El Kaabi making decisive contributions. In the round of 16, they faced Maccabi Tel Aviv and suffered a 4-1 defeat at home.

However, in a remarkable comeback, Olympiacos produced a stunning 4-1 win in the away leg to force extra time, eventually securing a 7-5 aggregate victory. Stevan Jovetic and Youssef El-Arabi were on the scoresheet before the 120 minutes were up.

Buoyed by their dominant performances in the Greek Super League, including a recent 5-1 thrashing of Lamia, Olympiacos return to continental action with confidence. They will look to capitalize on home advantage in Thursday’s clash at Piraeus and seize an advantage in the tie.

Team News

Olympiacos will face the absence of defender Sotiris Alexandropoulos due to injury, while winger Daniel Podence will serve a one-match European suspension due to accumulated yellow cards.

Leading the attack will be Jovetic, alongside star forward Ayoub El Kaabi, who has already netted 27 goals in all competitions this season, including 10 in just 14 appearances across Europa League and Europa Conference League fixtures.

In the absence of Kostas Fortounis, who missed the recent match against Lamia, Gelson Martins and Georgios Masouras are expected to provide support to the front two. Santiago Hezze and Andre Horta are likely to feature in midfield, with Nelson Abbey and Panagiotis Retsos forming the defensive backbone, provided Retsos is deemed fit after being substituted in the previous match.

Fenerbahce

Fenerbahce have had an eventful journey in this year’s Europa Conference League, playing 14 matches thus far to reach the quarterfinals. They began their campaign in the second qualifying round, defeating Zimbru Chisinau, Maribor, and Twente along the way to the group stage.

Once there, they competed against Ludogorets, Nordsjaelland, and Spartak Trnava, finishing at the top of the group and securing automatic passage to the round of 16 with 12 points from six matches.

Their round of 16 encounter was against Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, where they secured a 3-0 away victory in the first leg, courtesy of goals from Michy Batshuayi, Jayden Oosterwolde, and Dusan Tadic. Despite a 1-0 defeat in the second leg in Istanbul, they progressed to the quarter-finals.

Following their European exploits, Fenerbahce also had successes in the Turkish Super Lig, recording wins against Trabzonspor and Adana Demirspor. However, their focus shifted temporarily during the Turkish Super Cup final, where they walked off the pitch in protest against the hierarchy of Turkish football, following recent incidents of violence and the planning of the final.

Now, with their focus back on the pitch, Fenerbahce will aim to continue their impressive continental campaign and recent league form as they seek to gain an advantage in the quarterfinal tie.

Team News

Defenders Luan Peres and Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielder Fred, and attacker Josh King are all sidelined with injuries, leaving gaps in the squad.

However, the team is expected to rely on their experienced players, including striker Edin Dzeko, who has been in fine form with 23 goals this season. Supporting the veteran Bosnia and Herzegovina international will be Dusan Tadic and Sebastian Szymanski.

Bright Osayi-Samuel should retake his place on the right side of defence, having missed the league clash with Adana Demispor through injury.

Conclusion

The game this Thursday should be a close contest between two evenly matched teams, and with Olympiacos keen to take advantage of the home turf, and they should have just enough in their locker to make a positive outcome happen.

Verdict: Home win

Best odds: 7/5

Bookmaker: Olympusbet