A UEFA Champions League night under the lights at the Emirates Stadium sees a familiar and dramatic fixture renewed, as Arsenal play host to Greek champions Olympiacos. This is a clash with a rich, unpredictable, and often chaotic recent history, featuring memorable upsets, late drama, and an abundance of goals. Arsenal, now firmly re-established as a European powerhouse, will be strong favourites to secure a vital home win in the group stage. However, they will be all too aware of the threat posed by an Olympiacos side that has a famous habit of rising to the occasion in this specific fixture.
With both teams starting their domestic seasons in imperious fashion, this promises to be a high-quality encounter. This Arsenal vs Olympiacos betting preview will analyse the extensive history and current form to determine if the Gunners can avoid another scare from their bogey team.
Arsenal Vs Olympiacos match preview/Betting preview
Team Recent Form
Both clubs come into this Champions League encounter in dominant domestic form. Arsenal have been in formidable mood in the Premier League, showcasing the attacking flair and defensive steel that has made them title contenders. Olympiacos have been sweeping aside all challengers in the Greek Super League and will travel to London full of confidence, despite their underdog status.
- Arsenal: W-W-D-W-W
- Olympiacos: W-L-W-W-W
key stats
Here are three crucial statistics for punters to consider ahead of this historically dramatic tie:
- The Emirates is a fortress in this competition; Arsenal have won 10 of their last 12 Champions League group stage matches at home, scoring at an incredible average of 3.1 goals per game.
- Olympiacos have a dreadful record on English soil, having lost their last eight consecutive away matches against English opposition, conceding 22 goals in the process.
- This fixture is a goal-scorer’s paradise. There have been Over 2.5 goals in nine of the last ten meetings between Arsenal and Olympiacos.
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Correct Score Prediction
My correct score prediction is a 3-1 victory for Arsenal. While the history books are filled with tales of Olympiacos upsetting the odds against the Gunners, Mikel Arteta’s current Arsenal side is a far more disciplined and ruthless machine. I expect the home side to dominate possession and create numerous chances with their fluid attacking play. Olympiacos’s record of scoring in this fixture is strong, and with their quality in the final third, it is highly likely they will get on the scoresheet to continue the high-scoring trend. However, Arsenal’s superior quality across the pitch should prove decisive, allowing them to secure a comfortable and crucial three points.
Arsenal Vs Olympiacos H2H
This is one of European football’s most frequent and evenly contested fixtures, with a clear pattern of home dominance.
- The clubs have met 12 times in European competition since 2009, with the record perfectly split: six wins for Arsenal and six wins for Olympiacos.
- Home advantage is everything in this fixture; the home team on the day has won ten of the twelve previous meetings.
- Goals are a virtual guarantee; nine of the last ten encounters have produced Over 2.5 goals.
- The recent knockout history is dramatic: Olympiacos famously eliminated Arsenal from the Europa League in 2020, before the Gunners exacted revenge by knocking the Greek side out at the same stage in 2021.
Pre-Game Odds
The pre-game odds install Arsenal as overwhelming favourites, reflecting their formidable home record and Olympiacos’s terrible away form in England.
- Arsenal Win: 1.22
- Draw: 6.50
- Olympiacos Win: 13.00
(Odds are subject to change and are correct at the time of writing)
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Team News: Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has a near full-strength squad to choose from. The main doubt is over midfielder Martin Ødegaard, who is nursing a minor groin issue, meaning Zebimendi is set to continue as the lone defensive midfielder with Rice and Eze ahead of him. Viktor Gyökeres is expected to lead the attack, flanked by the superstar wingers Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
Team News: Olympiacos
Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar will be without the services of experienced midfielder Mady Camara, who is suspended for the trip to London. Their biggest concern, however, is the fitness of former Wolves star Daniel Podence, who will face a late test on an ankle knock. The goal-scoring burden will fall on the shoulders of Moroccan international striker Ayoub El Kaabi.
Predicted Line-ups
Arsenal Predicted Line-up (4-3-3):
Raya; J. Tinber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Zubemendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres
Olympiacos Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1):
Paschalakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Carmo, Ortega; Hezze, Iborra; Fortounis, Scarpa, Jovetić; El Kaabi
Arsenal Vs Olympiacos Betting Tips
After a detailed analysis of this historically explosive Champions League fixture, here are my expert betting tips.
- Tip 1 – Result: Arsenal Win
- Tip 2 – Over/Under 2.5 goals: Over 2.5 goals
- Tip 3 – Both Teams to Score: Yes
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