Ends Bayern’s winning streak against Olympiakos?

The FC Bayern could write history in the past two years. The Munich team became the first German team to reach the Euroleague playoffs. Andrea Trinchieri’s team was even able to repeat this historic success in the previous season. Both times, however, they reached the quarter-finals. The FCB therefore did not make it to the Final Four.

Looking at the results of Vlado Lucic and Co. so far, it will be a brutally difficult task to reach the top eight in Europe for the third time in a row. After seven matchdays, the German runners-up are deep in the bottom of the table with only two wins and five defeats. Unsurprisingly, lower odds are being offered on an away win between FC Bayern and Olympiakos on Thursday evening.

The visitors from Greece are one of the absolute top teams in the Euroleague so far and have already landed one or two statement victories. Especially away from home. Qualitatively, the charges of coach Bartzokas are certainly stronger than the Munich team. That’s one of the reasons why we’re leaning towards the title contenders from Piraeus in the match between FC Bayern and Olympiakos.

FC Bayern – Statistics & current form

FC Bayern Basketball went through a period of upheaval in the summer. Numerous players left the club, some new signings were made. With Isaac Bonga, Niels Giffey, Elias Harris and Jan-Niklas Wimberg, four sought-after German players were brought in. On the contingent positions, Cassius Winston and Freddie Gillespie are to make the difference in the future. According to first impressions, however, it will take some time before coach Andrea Trinchieri can implement his signature in the new team.

Nevertheless, compared to the weak start to the season, a positive development can already be seen. This is also noticeable in the results. Bayern recently celebrated four victories in a row across all competitions. Two in the Euroleague and two in the Bundesliga. Before that, however, the Munich team had lost four times in a row. The coming tasks will show in which direction the trend is heading.

The Bavarians lack offensive consistency

With a record of two wins and five defeats, the FCBB currently ranks 16th out of 18. The only wins came at ALBA Berlin and at home against a shorthanded Anadolu Efes. With a difference of two and three points respectively, these victories were very close.

Against the top teams from Barcelona and Fenerbahce, however, there were heavy defeats. Since we place the upcoming opponents at least on the same level as these two clubs, we would not be surprised if the odds on a handicap win for the visitors also pay off on Thursday evening between Bayern and Olympiakos. The line of -3.5 points seems justifiable.

The biggest weakness of Trinchieri’s squad is the offensive, which averages just 73 points, even though they have few turnovers. In other words: The throwing rate is the problem. With just over 40% from two-point range and only 35% from beyond the 6.75-metre line, it will be difficult to win games at this level. It is therefore also conceivable to make a prediction on sub-par points before the FC Bayern vs. Olympiakos duel. We think it is rather unlikely that both teams will score 80 or more points at the Audi Dome.

Predicted line-up of FC Bayern:
PG: Cassius Winston
SG: Nick Weiler-Babb
SF: Isaac Bonga
PF: Vlado Lucic
C: Freddie Gillespie

Olympiakos – Statistics & current form

Olympiakos Piraeus has always been one of the best and most successful basketball teams in Europe. The Greeks have already won the Euroleague title three times. They have reached the Final Four a total of eleven times. Last season, the Red and Whites also qualified for the final tournament in Belgrade, where they lost in the semi-finals to the eventual title holders Anadolu Efes by a very narrow 74-77 margin. After the regular season, Olympiakos was still in second place with 19 wins and nine losses.

In the summer, the team of head coach Giorgis Bartzokas was even strengthened considerably. With Isaiah Cannan, Alec Peters, Joel Bolomboy and Tarik Black, the second unit in particular was changed, thus creating remarkable depth in the squad. All positions are doubly well manned. The Greeks can react perfectly to many eventualities. No wonder, then, that before the Bayern vs. Olympiakos match, lower odds are being offered on the visitors’ victory.

Olympiakos has won all Euroleague away games in 2022/23

The fact that the 2013 Euroleague winners are currently second in the standings behind Fenerbahce with a strong record of five wins and two defeats also speaks in favour of this. All away games were won.

In general, four of the five victories mentioned were achieved with a difference of four points or more. On average, Piraeus put more than eleven points between themselves and their opponents. Bets on a handicap win for the visitors are therefore interesting, especially when the best bookmakers give the favourites only 3.5 points as a mortgage.

In terms of style of play, the Bartzokas team should have advantages in that they play fast basketball, score a lot of easy points in transition and still defend well for a “fast-pace” team. Moreover, we don’t see a suitable matchup for dominant centre Moustapha Fall, whose presence in the zone is ubiquitous at 2.18 metres. The in-form Sasha Vezenkov could also become an X-factor, as his potential counterparts are slower or smaller.

Predicted Olympiakos line-up:
PG: Isaiah Canaan
SG: Thomas Walkup
SF: Sasha Vezenkov
PF: Kostas Papanikolaou
C: Moustapha Fall

FC Bayern vs. Olympiakos – Direct comparison

Since 2000, these two world clubs have faced each other in ten Euroleague matches. Olympiakos clearly leads the record with eight wins and only two losses. In the past seasons, the Greeks won at home with 23 (!) points and at the Audi Dome with a ten-point difference.

Currently, it even seems as if the FCB is not yet at the same level as in 2021/22 and Piraeus is even stronger. Consequently, our tendency is clearly in the direction of the visiting team, who have at least been able to celebrate both of the aforementioned home victories in their own hall (2019, 2020).

FC Bayern – Olympiakos Tip

Two different philosophies clash at the Audi Dome on Thursday night from 20:30. On the one hand the slow and defensive style of FC Bayern, on the other hand the fast transition with many early throws and aggressive attacks to the basket of Olympiakos Piraeus.

So far, it is fair to say that the Greeks’ approach has been more successful. The Red and Whites are in second place in the Euroleague, have not only won five of their seven matches, but have also had the upper hand in all away games. The home side, on the other hand, have only managed two victories and are trapped in the bottom of the table in Europe’s most important basketball league.

Because we think the visitors are much stronger in terms of quality and don’t want to be blinded by FCB’s four-match winning streak, we play the betting odds on the handicap success of Bartzokas’ team between FC Bayern and Olympiakos. The Greeks must win by at least four points for our bet to go through.