Real Madrid travel to Greece on Wednesday chasing a small slice of history. Despite their long record in Europe, Los Blancos have never beaten Olympiacos away from home in the Champions League.
Olympiacos enter the night near the foot of the overall table with two points from four matches, while Madrid sit in seventh place after collecting nine points so far. The hosts have taken draws against FC Pafos and PSV Eindhoven but lost to Arsenal and Barcelona, leaving them in a difficult position with two matchdays remaining.
The Greek champions do at least return to European duty in good domestic form. A 3-0 win over Atromitos at the weekend kept them two points clear at the top of the Super League, and they have put together a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
Crucially, Olympiacos have also never been beaten by Real Madrid in Piraeus, with three of the four home meetings ending level and one victory coming back in December 2005.
Madrid, meanwhile, make the trip without the momentum usually associated with them. Since beating Valencia 4-0 in early November, they have gone three games without a win, drawing with Rayo Vallecano and Elche and losing to Liverpool in their most recent Champions League outing.
Their European campaign started strongly with victories over Marseille, Kairat Almaty and Juventus before the narrow loss at Anfield, leaving them in a reasonable position heading into the final fixtures.
However, the pressure around Xabi Alonso’s side has grown in recent weeks, with Spanish media questioning results and players privately hinting at uncertainty regarding the direction of the team.
Team news for Olympiacos v Real Madrid
Olympiacos remain without Alexandros Paschalakis and Konstantinos Angelakis, but Jose Luis Mendilibar otherwise has a full group to choose from.
Dani Garcia is one booking away from suspension but is expected to start, bringing years of La Liga experience into a fixture where composure will matter.
Ayoub El Kaabi continues to lead the line after scoring 10 goals in 16 games this season, with Daniel Podence set to operate from the flank.
Real Madrid still have several injury concerns. Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Franco Mastantuono are ruled out, while Antonio Rudiger, Aurelien Tchouameni and David Alaba will be assessed closer to kick-off.
Alonso is expected to refresh his midfield, with Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga likely to return alongside Vinicius Junior.
A slight shift in shape is possible, with Jude Bellingham operating behind a front pairing of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius. Trent Alexander-Arnold could retain his place after starting against Elche.
Expected line-ups for Olympiacos v Real Madrid
Olympiacos: Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia, Mouzakitis; Martins, Chiquinho, Podence; El Kaabi
Real Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Camavinga, Guler; Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius
How to watch Olympiacos v Real Madrid: TV channel, online stream
The match will be broadcast live in the UK on TNT Sports, with online coverage also available on the discovery+ app. The game will kick-off at 8pm GMT in Greece.
The stats for Olympiacos v Real Madrid
- Olympiacos have never lost at home to Real Madrid in European competition
- Real Madrid’s last win in this fixture came in 2007, and each of their four victories over Olympiacos have been in Spain
- Olympiacos are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions, with four wins in that run
- Madrid have conceded the first goal in three of their last four matches across all competitions
- Ayoub El Kaabi has scored 10 goals in 16 appearances this season and has found the net in five home matches
- Real Madrid have scored in 20 consecutive Champions League league-phase or group-stage away games
Prediction
Olympiacos
1
–
2
Real Madrid
Olympiacos’ strong home record against Madrid and their current domestic form make this a far trickier task for the Spanish champions than the league table suggests. Madrid have not looked fully convincing in recent weeks, but the quality in their front line should eventually give them the edge.
