#Men'sFirstTeam #ChampionsLeague #PreMatch #Olympiacos

Spotlight on... Olympiacos

Tue 17 September 2019, 21:43|Tottenham Hotspur

We kick-start our 2019/20 Champions League campaign on Wednesday evening as we face Olympiacos in Greece (5.55pm UK).

Last season we reached the final of the competition for the first time ever but ultimately lost out to Liverpool in the Madrid showpiece. This week's Greek opponents, meanwhile, last featured in the competition in the 2017/18 season, where they bowed out in the group stage.

So, ahead of our Matchday One test, we have put Olympiacos under the spotlight…

Team news

Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins has an almost fully fit squad available for selection. In his pre-match press conference, Martins confirmed defender Ruben Semedo would be back in contention for the game after recovering from a knee injury. However, midfielders Kostas Fortounis and Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (both knee) remain out.

Journey to the group stage

Having finished second in the Greek Super League last season, Olympiacos started their 2019/20 Champions League journey back in July as they entered in the second qualifying round. First up for the Athens-based outfit was Viktoria Plzen who they quickly brushed aside with a 4-0 aggregate victory before they progressed into the play-offs with a 3-0 aggregate win over Istanbul Basaksehir. Then, in a two-legged play-off, the Greek side secured their return to the competition’s group stages last month with a 5-1 aggregate win over Russian side Krasnodar.

One to watch

He may only be six games into his Olympiacos career, but forward Youssef El Arabi already has four goals to his name in red and white – achieving an average of a goal every 84 minutes so far. A poacher in the box, the Moroccan international possesses great movement and is an instinctive striker, always seeming to know where the ball will land in the box.

El Arabi started his career in his native France with Caen before having spells at Al-Hilal, Granada and Al-Duhail prior to arriving in Greece in the close-season. The well-traveled 32-year-old also has form from the spot, as he has scored 37 of his 39 career penalties.

Leader of the opposition

Pedro Martins took over the reins at Olympiacos in April, 2018, and has so far garnered a considerable win percentage at the club (71 per cent), with 41 victories from his 57 games in charge. Having spent his entire playing career in Portugal, representing such clubs as Sporting CP and Vitoria Guimaraes, Martins continued in that vein as a manager, leading sides including Maritimo and Rio Ave as well as returning to Vitoria before moving away from his homeland for the first time last year to take on his current post in Athens. Our match on Wednesday evening will be the first time Martins has managed a side in the Champions League group stages.

Previous meetings

8 November, 1972 – Olympiacos 1-0 Spurs – UEFA Cup second round, second leg
25 October, 1972 – Spurs 4-0 Olympiacos – UEFA Cup second round, first leg

The numbers game

5 – Since the 2009/10 season, Olympiacos have won five of their six European home matches against English opposition. Three of those wins have come against Arsenal.

50 – This will be Mauricio Pochettino’s 50^th European game as our manager – only Bill Nicholson has managed us in more (55).

4 – In his two appearances against Greek opposition, Harry Kane has four goals to his name.

8 – Olympiacos are on an eight-game winless run in the Champions League – their joint-longest winless run in the competition since 2003 (not including qualification games).

231 – In the 2018/19 edition of the Champions League, we sent 231 crosses into the box – the most of any side in the competition.