Olympiacos-Maccabi Tel Aviv is a match valid for the first leg of the Conference League round of 16 and is played Thursday at 6:45 p.m.: live TV, likely lineups, predictions.
Olympiacos has been reborn since Spaniard Jose Luis Mendilibar, the man who led Sevilla to yet another triumph – the seventh in its history – in the Europa League last season, was on the bench. After all, to notice the sudden change of pace of the red and white just take a look at the latest results.
The Piraeus club has won no less than seven games in the last month, between the league and the Conference League. In the cup playoff, Olympiacos passed the Ferencvaros exam brilliantly, beating the Dejan Stankovic-coached team both at home and away with the same result (1-0, on both occasions scored by Moroccan striker El Kaabi). Thanks to last Sunday’s 3-0 thrashing of Volos, on the other hand, the Athenian team ended the regular season of the Hellenic Super League in third place, just three points behind the leading PAOK. The big dream, however, remains to make it to the bottom of the Conference League. And maybe to play in that final, which this year will be hosted by Athens itself (the stadium, however, is that of AEK’s historical rivals).
Keane relies on Zahavi
In the round of 16, meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv awaits, returning to Conference League play after winning their group with full merit, finishing ahead of Belgium’s Gent (15 points out of 18 available).
The Yellowoblù, coached by Irishman Robbie Keane, are also going strong at home, where they are currently first in the standings but only one point ahead of the other big favorite for the title, Maccabi Haifa. Four victories in the last four matches for Maccabi Tel Aviv, coming off a clear 4-0 win over Petach Tikva. There is a precedent between the two teams, which was staged in the 2010-11 Europa League: at the time, the away goals rule was still in force and it was Olympiacos (2-1 in the first leg and 1-0 in the return) who came out on top in the third qualifying round. Mendilibar will have to do without Gelson Martins and former Salernitana player Cabral, in Maccabi instead to lead the attack will be another old acquaintance of Serie A, Zahavi, seen in Palermo.
The prediction
Olympiacos is in great form, regenerated by the Mendilibar cure, but Maccabi Tel Aviv is also healthy and will not go to Greece to make an appearance, far from it. Hosts slightly favored in a match with at least one goal on each side.
Olympiacos-Maccabi Tel Aviv
likely lineups.
OLYMPIACOS (4-3-3): Paschalakis; Rodinei, Abbey, Restos, Ortega; Chiquinho, Hezze, Horta; Masouras, El Kaabi, Podence.
MACCABI TEL AVIV (4-3-3): Mashpati; Shahar, Nachmias, Balataxa, Revivo; Peretz, Van Overeem, Kanikovski; Davida, Zahavi, Milson.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
