Prediction: Olympiacos vs Slovan Bratislava

Verdict: Olympiacos win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: Unibet

Hoping to pick up a first-leg advantage after dropping out of the Champions League last week, Olympiacos will host Slovan Bratislava for their Europa League qualifying showdown.

Olympiacos

Starting with the hosts, putting in what was a woeful display last week after crashing out of the Champions League, Olympiacos find themselves in the midst of a hugely worrying run of form. Eventually hit with a dreadful 4-0 drumming at home against Israeli-based outfit Maccabi Haifa, the Greek giants will get a new era underway on Thursday night. With it announced over the weekend that Carlos Corberán will be taking charge at the Karaiskakis Stadium, the ex-Huddersfield boss has quite the job on his hands. While Thrylos might have managed to claim yet another domestic crown last season, Olympiacos are enduring a summer nightmare. Along with that stunning Champions League collapse against Haifa last time out, the midweek hosts have won just one of their last eight matchups across all formats. Suffering friendly defeats against the likes of Arminia Bielefeld, Salzburg and Aris, Corberán must find a way to plug Olympiacos’ leaky defence.

Team News

After suffering that stunning 4-0 loss against Maccabi Haifa last week and crashing out of the Champions League, Corberán could be tempted to make a string of changes here.

The likes of Yann M’Vila, Youssef El-Arabi and Joao Carvalho could all be in line for a recall on Thursday night.

Slovan Bratislava

As for the visitors, although Slovan Bratislava might have also seen their own Champions League qualifying adventure come to an end last week, the Slovakian outfit did impress. Despite failing to build off of their stunning 2-1 win away at Ferencvaros on July 20th, Head Coach Vladimír Weiss should find the mood in his camp at a high. While the Sky Blues might have made a string of changes on domestic duties last weekend, they did pick up an action-packed 4-2 victory against Zemplín Michalovce on home soil. However, while the reigning Fortuna Liga champions might be desperate to spring another upset on foreign soil, they should be worried by their most recent trip to the Karaiskakis Stadium. Crashing out of last season’s Europa League qualifiers following a 3-0 defeat in Greece last year, Slovan Bratislava could be in for another tough test here.

Team News

All handed a rest over the weekend, the likes of Tigran Barseghyan, Myenty Abena, Jaba Kankava and Vernon De Marco are all expected to return here.

One-time Manchester City attacker Vladimir Weiss is also likely to feature on Thursday night.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off in last season’s Europa League qualifiers, Olympiacos picked up a 5-2 aggregate win.
• Likewise, Thursday’s hosts secured a 3-0 victory at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
• However, Olympiacos have managed to win just one of their last eight matchups across all formats.
• Slovan Bratislava have seen each of their last five contests across all formats finish with over 2.5 goals.
• The Belasí have also lost four of their last five Europa League matchuos on foreign soil.

Conclusion

Crashing out of the Champions League last week following that nightmare second-leg drumming against Maccabi Haifa, Olympiacos will get a new era underway on Thursday night. Appointing Corberán over the weekend, the ex-Huddersfield boss will know the importance of getting off to a flying start here. Although the Greek giants might be in the midst of an extended rut, they will be boosted by their most recent meeting against the midweek gusts. Booking their spot in the group stages of last season’s Europa League after claiming a 5-2 aggregate victory against Slovan Bratislava, the Thrylos are rightfully tipped as a standout pick here. Claiming a second-leg 3-0 win when they welcomed Belasí to the Karaiskakis Stadium 12 months ago, we’re backing a similar home victory here.

Verdict: Olympiacos win

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: Unibet