Don’t let the Greeks create any more suspense?
With a 3-1 win from the first leg, Olympiakos Piraeus already has a leg up in the Europa League group stage. The Greeks could afford even a defeat with a goal difference in Serbia. Accordingly, in the Cukaricki Belgrade vs Olympiakos Piraeus betting is a bet that the red and white will be allowed to represent their country in the second most important European competition for club teams this fall.
If the Serbians fail to reverse their fortunes, they will still have the group stage of the Conference League to play for. It is already clear that the Brđani will be participating in the group stage of a UEFA competition for the first time in their history. Nevertheless, the supposed underdogs will naturally want to cut a much better figure in the second leg than in the first leg, when they were neatly trailing 0:3 after just 39 minutes.
Lately, however, things have not been going too well for Cukaricki. The Serbians have been waiting for another win for four competitive games (two draws, two defeats) and couldn’t get past a goalless draw against Radnik in their dress rehearsal in the national league on Sunday. It’s hard to imagine them beating a team that hasn’t lost in nine games this season (seven wins, two draws) and has conceded just two goals in that period.
As a result, a lot of value provides in the Cukaricki Belgrade vs Olympiakos Piraeus prediction that the Greeks will not lose the away match in the Serbian capital.
Cukaricki Belgrade – statistics & current form
Although FK Cukaricki Belgrade has existed since 1926 and will celebrate its 100th anniversary in a few years. However, for long stretches of the club’s history, the Serbs eked out a marginal existence in the amateur sector.
A turning point in their history came in 2012, when the club, also known as Brđani (the Highlanders), was bought by businessman Dragan Obradovic. In 2015, the capital celebrated their biggest success so far when they won the Serbian Club Cup.
cue anchor Conference League
Now, after a whole series of unsuccessful attempts to qualify for the group stage of a UEFA competition, a new milestone is to be celebrated. Thanks to the third place in the final table, it is already clear that the team will enter a European group stage for the first time. The only thing that remains unclear is whether it will be the Europa League or just the Conference League.
At the moment, of course, everything looks like the third most important European competition for club teams. Cukaricki Belgrade will start the second leg with the burden of a two-goal defeat in the first leg.
Won only eight of 16 European mandatory home matches
Making matters worse, the eleven of coach Igor Matic, who took over just two weeks ago, has not won in four competitive matches (two draws, two defeats). Accordingly, there is little to suggest that Cukaricki Belgrade will win at home against Olympiakos Piraeus.
Overall, the Belgrade team’s meager record in international matches, which did not go beyond a 0-0 draw against Radnik in the league last weekend, does not look very scary. From 16 European home games, only eight games were won (three draws, five defeats), although so far it was mainly against international lightweights.
Predicted lineup of Cukaricki Belgrade:
Samurovic – Subotic, Drezgic, Stevanovic – Tosic, Sissoko, Stankovic, Kovac, Rogan – Ivanovic, Ndiaye
Olympiakos Piraeus – statistics & current form
Olympiakos Piraeus looks back on 47 national championships and 28 overall victories in the national club cup, making them the most successful club in the country. This makes the disappointment of the 2022/23 season, which only ended in third place in the Super League, all the more serious.
Instead of qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League for the 21st time in the club’s history, in which the Red and Whites even reached the quarterfinals in the 1998/99 season, the new season will see the Europa League at most.
Continued unbeaten under Diego Martínez
Eben that second most important European competition for club teams, however, is now also to be achieved safely. For this, the two-goal lead from the first leg in Serbia must be managed.
The team, which has been coached by Diego Martínez since this summer, also has a good record. Under the Spanish coach, the team has not lost any of its only five competitive matches in the young 2023/24 season (four wins, one draw). On a national level, there have been two clean sheets, with Olympiakos Piraeus taking the lead in the standings with a commanding 4-0 win over Atromitos Athens at the weekend.
Only two goals conceded in total from last nine competitive matches
In fact, across the season, the team with the sonorous nickname Thrylos (meaning legend) has gone undefeated for nine straight competitive games (seven wins, two draws), with seven games to nil and only two goals conceded overall in those nine games.
Since April 2023, the Greek record champions have not conceded more than two goals in a single competitive match. The odds for Cukaricki Belgrade against Olympiakos Piraeus are therefore clearly in favor of the Red and Whites advancing, who could afford to lose by just one goal in Serbia if need be.
Predicted lineup of Olympiakos Piraeus:
Paschalakis – Quini, Freire, Retsos, Vrousai – Iborra, Camara – Fortounis, Biel, Masouras – El Kaabi
Cukaricki Belgrade – Olympiakos Piraeus Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 0 – 0 – 1
Last Thursday’s first leg was the first and only meeting between the two teams in a competitive international match so far. With the 3:1 home victory Olympiakos Piraeus leads the direct comparison consequently.
Cukaricki Belgrade – Olympiakos Piraeus Tip
In the run-up to the second leg, the betting odds on Cukaricki Belgrade against Olympiakos Piraeus also swing in the direction of the Greeks, who come in at around five times the Serbian challengers in terms of total market value of the squad alone. In any case, the accumulated international experience speaks in favor of the Greek showpiece club, which already has a leg up in the Europa League group stage with the 3-1 home win from the first leg.
While a comeback by the Serbs is not categorically ruled out. However, it will be extremely difficult for Belgrade to generate any more excitement as they host Olympiakos, a team that has conceded just two goals in total in their last nine competitive matches.
