Overview
Barcelona are currently in 16th place in the League Phase Champions League, after a narrow win over Newcastle United and a 1-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The loss to defending champions of Europe was then followed by a heavy stumble of 1-4 against Sevilla in La Liga, causing Hansi Flick's team to enter the international break in a heavy mood.
It was thought that they would have to accept another disappointing result when Girona equalized in the derby last weekend, but Ronald Araujo played the role of a hero with a goal in the 93rd minute. This goal helped Barcelona win 2-1 and shorten the gap with Real Madrid to 2 points.
That late victory helped Barca relieve pressure before entering El Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu this weekend. However, their first meeting is against Olympiacos, the opponent that the Catalan team won 3-1 against in their most recent encounter in the group stage of the 2017-2019 season.
Statistics also stood on the Blaugrana's side when they won all their home matches against Greek representatives in the European arena. Hansi Flick once had a sweet memory when facing Olympiacos and defeating this team 2-0 in the group stage of the 2019-2020 Champions League.
Olympiacos are in the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2020-21 season, after winning the domestic league last season. Under the leadership of Jose Luis Mendilibar, the Greek team is trying to prove its position in the most prestigious playground in Europe.
However, their starting journey was not easy. Olympiacos were held to a goalless draw by Pa fos in their opening match, despite having to play with one less player for most of the time.
In the second match, they continued to lose 0-2 to Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, with goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. Olympiacos have now fallen to the bottom of the Champions League rankings.
The disappointing run of results continued as Olympiacos lost 1-2 to rivals PAOK in the Greek Super League. However, they later regained their spirit with a 2-0 victory over AEL Larissa last weekend, thanks to a double from Ayoub El Kaabi.
The Marquis will continue to be the biggest hope in attack, as Olympiacos are one of two teams yet to score in the group stage this season.
However, the challenge for them is huge as the Greek representative has lost all 11 recent matches in the Champions League group stage. Mendilibar also have a poor head-to-head record against Barcelona, having lost 23 of their 27 matches (3 draws, 1 win).
Personnel situation
Barcelona are still facing an injury crisis as they enter the match against Olympiacos in the Champions League. Many key players such as Joan Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi and Dani Olmo have not been able to return.
Up front, Robert Lewandowski is expected to be out for about a month due to a hamstring injury on international duty, while Raphinha is still uncertain to recover after 4 consecutive absences. Ferran Torres hopes to make a return soon, but Flick is unlikely to take any risks ahead of El Clasico at the weekend.
In midfield, Fermin Lopez could be given the opportunity to start. Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo and Gerard Martin are potential options for defence if Flick wants to rotate the squad. In addition, key players such as Alejandro Balde and Pedri could be given a break to save energy in the match against Real Madrid.
As for Olympiacos, the Greek team could not help but suffer. They will be without Rodinei and Gabriel Strefezza due to injury, while Nikos Botis, Remy Cabella, Ruben Vezo, Yusuf Yazici, Gustavo Mancha and Konstantinos Angelakis are all disqualified to play in the Champions League group stage.
Expected lineup:
Barcelona: Szczesny, Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martin, De Jong, Garcia, Casado, Yamal, Fermin, Rashford.
Olympiacos: Tzolakis, Costinha, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega, Garcia, Hezze, Martins, Chiquinho, Podence, El Kaabi.
The match between Barcelona and Olympiacos takes place at 23:45 on October 21 (Vietnam time).
