Will the Greeks pose bigger problems for the Bundesliga side this time?
Just last season, the two teams crossed paths in the group stage of the Europa League. The Black Forest side prevailed 3-0 in Piraeus almost exactly a year ago on 15 September 2022, before the return leg ended in a 1-1 draw in Breisgau. Now the Greeks would very much like to take revenge. However, there is not much value to be found in Olympiakos Piraeus vs. Freiburg in tip 1.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the Red and Whites have remained unbeaten in eight competitive matches in the still young 2023/24 season (six wins, two draws), while the Black Forest side recently suffered two defeats in the Bundesliga with a total of 2:9 goals. Accordingly, a forecast for Olympiakos Piraeus against Freiburg that at least does not categorically rule out the Bundesliga side’s away defeat at the Karaiskakis Stadium.
It is clear, however, that both teams will have to play for victory in this match if they want to progress to the knockout stage in the complicated Group A with Conference League winners West Ham United and current Serbian leaders FK TSC. With this in mind, we expect a lively and probably also high-scoring match on the Mediterranean.
A very interesting bet in our eyes is that the Greeks will open the scoring and take a 1:0 lead in this match. Very brave bettors can even get quotes of up to 2.87 for a home win for the red and white team. However, for such risky bets, free bets should potentially be used for hedging purposes.
Olympiakos Piraeus – Statistics & current form
Olympiakos Piraeus is one of the absolute flagships of the country with 47 national championship titles and 28 cup victories by now. Only on the international stage has the team with the resonant epithet Thrylos (in German: Legende) not yet achieved any resounding successes.
In 1999, however, the Red and Whites reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League. At least, in those rare moments when they made it through the European group stage in one piece, they usually ended up in the first knockout match.
None of the last nine Europa League games won again
Last season, however, the players from the Greek Mediterranean coast once again failed to make it out of the international group stage in one piece. In Group G with Qarabag Agdam, FC Nantes and today’s opponents SC Freiburg, Thrylos remained winless and picked up just two points out of a possible 18.
This means that Olympiakos Piraeus have not won any of their last nine matches in the main rounds of the Europa League (two draws, seven defeats), scoring just three goals in total and going without a goal of their own in their last four home matches.
Haven’t lost any of their eight competitive matches in the 2023/24 season
Under a correspondingly bad star, Olympiakos Piraeus are tipped to win at home against Freiburg, with the Red and Whites also struggling badly against representatives from the Bundesliga. Since a 3:1 win against Borussia Dortmund in the 2011/12 Champions League, the Greeks have been waiting for another win against a German club for eleven competitive matches (one draw, ten defeats).
And yet, the start to the season has been extremely promising for the team of new coach Diego Martínez. After eight competitive games, Piraeus are still unbeaten (six wins, two draws) and also lead the Super League table with ten points out of a possible twelve and 11 goals to one.
Predicted line-up of Olympiakos Piraeus:
Olympiakos Piraeus (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1
Freiburg – Statistics & current form
For the last two years in a row, SC Freiburg have always been in the fight for the Champions League, but both times they “only” made it to the Europa League. Only last season, the Black Forest side made it through the preliminary round as group winners, but were then defeated by Juventus Torino in the round of 16.
Now, for the fifth time in the club’s history and for the first time in two consecutive seasons, the team from Breisgau is once again involved in the Europa League, where they hope to repeat last year’s run. However, the tasks in Group A have certainly not become any easier.
Recent two defeats in a row with 2:9 goals
Making matters worse, Christian Streich’s team have lost the momentum of their strong start to the season. After a relatively lacklustre 2-0 win over underdog Oberachern in the 1st round of the DFB Cup, Sport-Club started the Bundesliga with the perfect haul of six points with 3-1 goals.
On the third matchday, however, the Black Forest side suffered a heavy defeat at VfB Stuttgart (0:5), before they were also beaten by Borussia Dortmund (2:4) in the dress rehearsal on Saturday. Six points out of a possible twelve are only enough for tenth place in the table.
Ten goals conceded in four league games already
Despite this, the betting odds on Olympiakos Piraeus against Freiburg are swinging in the direction of the Bundesliga side, who won 3-0 at the Karaiskakis Stadium almost exactly a year ago. To repeat this coup, however, Christian Streich’s team must rediscover its defensive stability.
In the Bundesliga, only Gladbach, Augsburg, Mainz (twelve each) and Darmstadt (13) have conceded more goals than the team from Breisgau (ten), who have only scored five of their own. A figure that only four other teams – Cologne, Mainz (three each), Frankfurt and Bochum (four each) – have managed to undercut.
Predicted line-up of Freiburg:
SC Freiburg (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1
Olympiakos Piraeus – Freiburg Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 0 – 1 – 1
Just this past season, both teams faced each other in the group stage of the Europa League. After the Black Forest side celebrated a brilliant 3-0 away win in Greece in the first leg, Olympiakos Piraeus held SC Freiburg to a 1-1 draw in the second leg in Breisgau. All in all, the Red and Whites have been waiting for another win against a Bundesliga representative for eleven games (one draw, ten defeats).
Olympiakos Piraeus – Freiburg tip
At the moment, the betting odds on Olympiakos Piraeus against Freiburg are swinging in the direction of the Black Forest side. However, considering that the Greeks have remained unbeaten in eight competitive matches in the 2023/24 season (six wins, two draws), while Sport-Club have suffered two defeats with 2:9 goals most recently, this assessment by the betting providers seems very daring to us.
It is true that the Greeks have not really been convincing on the international stage lately. Nevertheless, the team from the Mediterranean must be confident in this match against the Black Forest team, which has been far too susceptible defensively lately. Our prediction for Olympiakos Piraeus against Freiburg is that the red and white team will take a 1:0 lead
