Will Fenerbahce take the derby momentum with them?
Showdown in the battle for second place Group D! Olympiakos Piraeus and Fenerbahce Istanbul are two worlds apart. On the one hand, the Greek record champions, who have ensured a clear balance of power at home in recent years. On the other side, the Canaries from Istanbul, who year after year are unable to meet the high expectations in the league.
This season was no exception, when Fenerbahce folded after a promising start to the season and squandered their good starting position in the table. The recent derby win against arch-rivals Galatasaray was therefore all the more important, as Fenerbahce climbed to fifth place in the Süper Lig as a result. Internationally, the recent momentum should now be carried over.
In Piraeus, losing is forbidden. A defeat would mean that the Canaries are likely to continue their adventure in the Conference League. Therefore, the heavyweight from Istanbul will approach the match at the Greek record champions with an “all or nothing” mentality and will be eager for revenge.
In the first leg, Olympiakos swept their Turkish group rivals off the pitch 3-0. Georgios Masouras was a decisive factor in their success, scoring twice and assisting on one goal to give his side three important points from Istanbul.
Olympiakos Piraeus – Statistics & current form
Olympiakos Piraeus is the figurehead of Greek football. Not only because the “Thrylos” won the most titles at national level, but also because Olympiakos is one of the few clubs on the international stage that scores important points for Greece in the UEFA rankings. This is also the case this season, where the Greek record champions are already aiming towards the knockout phase.
Two matchdays before the end of the group stage, there is the first “match point” in the duel with Fenerbahce. If Olympiakos Piraeus beat the visitors from Istanbul in their upcoming home match, they will punch their ticket to the sixteen-finals of the second most important European Cup for club teams, even without any help from the shooting gallery.
In the event of a draw or a potential defeat, however, the decision will be postponed until the last matchday. Because Olympiakos have lost only one of 16 home games at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium since March 2021, the Red and Whites will approach their second-round match against Fenerbahce with a broad chest.
Next clear win against Fenerbahce?
In the first leg, Olympiakos already won 3-0 in Istanbul and thus clearly leads the direct comparison with Fenerbahce. For the “Thrylos” it was already the fifth victory against a Turkish club. In total, the record holders from Piraeus currently have a record of 5-2-3 against teams from Turkey.
Two of the three defeats were against Galatasaray, and Olympiakos also lost a competitive match against BJK. The home record against Turkish clubs is particularly encouraging: Olympiakos has never lost a home match against a Turkish team. In four home games, there have been two wins and two draws.
If the record is extended with another win, odds of 1.80 are paid out for a bet on the Greek record champions in Olympiakos Piraeus vs Fenerbahce. Due to injury, only Fortounis is expected to miss the top club in the European Cup. There are no other absentees for the red and whites from Piraeus.
Predicted line-up of Olympiakos Piraeus:
Vaclik – Reabciuk, Cissé, Ba, Lala – M’Vila, Camara – Onyekuru, Camara, Masouras – El Arabi
Last matches played by Olympiakos Piraeus:
Super League
11/21 2021 – AEK Athens 2 – 3 Olympiakos Piraeus
11/07 2021 – Olympiakos Piraeus 1 – 0 Ionikos
Europa League Grp. D
11/04 2021 – Olympiakos Piraeus 1 – 2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Super League
10/30 2021 – Panetolikos 1 – 2 Olympiakos Piraeus
10/24 2021 – Olympiakos Piraeus 2 – 1 PAOK Thessaloniki FC
Fenerbahce – Statistics & current form
For Vitor Pereira & Co. the recent derby win at arch-rivals Galatasaray was a real liberation blow. After all, the Portuguese had been the subject of criticism in the weeks before and was mainly criticised for his lack of tactical sensitivity. The result in the city derby against Galatasaray was therefore all the more surprising.
For the first time in a while, the forward play also harmonised. Among others, Mesut Özil set the tone in the offensive play and even gave Fenerbahce the well-deserved equaliser in the second half. Despite being outnumbered, the Canaries also fought their way to an away victory in an explosive final phase.
If the passionate performance in the derby is continued, there are realistic chances to initiate a turnaround in the next few weeks and thus reduce the gap to the top of the table. Before the next match in the league, Fenerbahce still have the European Cup on the agenda this week.
FB grasping at the final straw?
Because Fenerbahce won their last group game against Royal Antwerp, there are still mathematically realistic chances to enter the knockout stage of the Europa League. To do so, the Canaries not only have to win the away match in Piraeus, but probably also score against Eintracht Frankfurt on the last matchday.
Fenerbahce put in a strong performance against the last team in the group in their last international appearance, winning 3-0 in Antwerp, their first victory in the group stage of the current Europa League. Irfan Can Kahveci and Mert Hakan Yandas were particularly brilliant in midfield in the absence of former DFB star Mesut Özil.
It is quite possible that Vitor Pereira will also rely on his two in-form midfielders against Olympiakos Piraeus. Mesut Özil is also likely to be in the starting line-up for the showdown with the Greek record champions. Otherwise, it remains to be seen how Vitor Pereira will set up his team tactically against Olympiakos.
In the first half of the season, Pereira and his team were without a chance against his former club – in the 2014/15 season, the Portuguese was in charge at Olympiakos.
Predicted line-up of Fenerbahce:
Özer – Novak, Kim, Tisserand, Kadioglu – Yandas, Crespo, Kahveci – Rossi, Berisha, Özil
Last matches played by Fenerbahce:
Süper Lig
11/21 2021 – Galatasaray 1 – 2 Fenerbahçe
11/07 2021 – Fenerbahçe 2 – 2 Kayserispor
Europa League Grp. D
11/04 2021 – Antwerp 0 – 3 Fenerbahçe
Süper Lig
10/30 2021 – Konyaspor 2 – 1 Fenerbahçe
10/24 2021 – Fenerbahçe 1 – 2 Alanyaspor
Olympiakos Piraeus – Fenerbahce Direct comparison / H2H record
Olympiakos Piraeus and Fenerbahce met for the first time ever in a competitive match in the first leg. The “Thrylos” prevailed 3-0 in Istanbul after a stellar performance by midfielder Georgios Masouras (2 goals, 1 assist) and are thus ahead in the direct comparison against the Canaries.
For Fenerbahce, the defeat to Olympiakos Piraeus was their third loss in their last seven competitive matches with Greek clubs.
Olympiakos Piraeus – Fenerbahce Tip
In order to consolidate second place in the group early on, Olympiakos Piraeus must win their upcoming home match against Fenerbahce. In case of a defeat against the Turkish representatives, entry into the knockout phase of the Europa League will only be possible with shooting assistance. A draw, on the other hand, would mean that the last matchday would be decisive for both clubs.
Because the “Thrylos” already celebrated a clear victory against Fenerbahce in the first leg, it is not at all surprising that the Greek record champions are rated as clear favourites in their own stadium. After all, Olympiakos has never lost a home match against a Turkish club so far.
The record holders from Piraeus also have an encouraging recent record at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. There has only been one defeat in the last 16 home games, both in the season and in the competition. That home defeat came in Olympiakos’ last home match against Frankfurt.
Nevertheless, we do not rule out a match of equals and tend to expect a low-scoring encounter between Olympiakos Piraeus and Fenerbahce. Our betting odds are on “more goals in the 2nd half”. We are betting five units on this. A prediction on this already paid off in the first half of the season.
