Barcelona VS Olympiacos Match Prediction

Barcelona and Olympiakos, surprisingly, have not met in any competition before.      

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Barcelona vs Olympiacos Betting Tips and Odds

Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:

Barcelona are at 1/16 to win, a draw is at 12/1, and an Olympiakos win is at 20/1.

Like us, we believe the bookmakers also know all about Olympiakos' failure to get a win in Spain down the years.  The Pirates side have done well at home, but they have never been much in the way of travelers, so this comes as no shock.  

Barcelona come off a great point away to Atletico Madrid on Saturday, and they will be happy to come into this match after they fought back to earn that.  This match could be seen as a potential 'break' for a few players, whether they actually sit out or play.  The pace will surely be a little bit slower, and they should be able to move Olympiakos around easily and get the result they need to remain in control.  However, they did not show a killer touch in Lisbon, so they will love to show that here.

As for Olympiakos, they are realistically just making up the numbers this year.  They have not been playing well in Greece as of late, as the form book indicates, and they have been beaten in both of their UCL matches.  Due to that, they are surely headed for a bottom-dwelling type of finish and will want to just be as respectable as possible in this match.

Barcelona -2 is at 4/7.

Barcelona vs Olympiacos Prediction

Barcelona won't have to hit their greatest heights in order to record a fairly routine victory at home.  

Correct Score Prediction: Barcelona 3-0 Olympiakos
 

Team News

Ernesto Valverde continues on without winger Ousmane Dembele and center midfielder Rafinha due to injuries, while the unwanted winger Arda Turan is also supposedly dealing with one as well.  Expect to see Paulinho and Sergi Roberto restored to the starting XI after missing out against Atletico.  

Key Man

Luis Suarez scored just his second goal of the season for Barcelona in what has been an injury-ravaged season so far on Saturday, but his manager believes that it might be the light at the end of the tunnel that was needed for him.  His equalizer with less than ten minutes to play allowed Barca to stay five points clear of Atleti in La Liga, and it will give them a lot of momentum heading into this match against what should be a fairly helpless Olympiakos team.  

Team Form

Barca have a draw and four wins in their last five matches:

1-1 at Atletico Madrid
3-0 home win vs Las Palmas
0-1 win at Sporting Lisbon (UCL)
0-3 win at Girona
6-1 home win vs Eibar

Barcelona Predicted Starting Line-up

Expected Line-up: 4-3-3

Team News

Takis Lemonis has an injury to winger El Fardou Ben, but he could be set to call upon him here as he's returned to training recently.  Center back Bjorn Engels, serving a suspension in Greece, is eligible here.  

Key Man

A man that has been known to cause trouble all across Europe for years now is striker Emmanuel Emenike.  The Nigerian, now 30, has terrorized teams' back lines for various teams throughout the years, but is still one of the more frustrating men to watch.  His inconsistency means he's very unpredictable, and that sometimes makes it harder for defenders to stick with.  Against a team like Barca, he could profit due to his physical skills.  

Team Form

Olympiakos have  in their last five matches:

3-4 win at Panionios
0-1 home loss vs Atromitos
2-0 loss at Juventus (UCL)
3-2 loss at AEK Athens
2-1 home win vs Asteras Tripolis (Cup)

Olympiakos Predicted Starting Line-up

Expected Line-up: 4-2-3-1

Olympiakos' efforts to turn their fortune in Spain around will likely be met with very firm opposition on Wednesday up against the Catalan giants. Barcelona have began to play like the Barca of old of late, and even if they weren't, they would be considered huge favorites to grab a victory at home to Olympiakos. The win should be relatively simple for them here as they remain in control of the group.

Olympiakos have never beaten a Spanish side away from home in 14 attempts.