- Bayer Leverkusen v Olympiacos – Tuesday, February 24
- UEFA Champions League League knockout play-off second leg
- Kick-off Time: 22:00 Greek Time
- Venue: BayArena
- Where to Watch: Cosmote Sport 2 HD
A familar situation for Olympiacos
For the third season in a row, Olympiacos find themselves in the knockout stages of a European tie, seemingly down and out after the first leg, this time against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League. In 2023/24, it was the Conference League round of 16, when, after losing 4-1 at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv, Thrylos staged a historic comeback, winning 6-1 to turn the tie on its head and ignite the journey that led to their first European trophy.
Last season, it was against Norwegan side Bodo/Glimt in the UEAF Europa League round of 16. Despite winning the second leg 2-1 in Karaiskakis, it was too little too late, owing to the 3-0 loss they suffered in Norway, something that bigger and better sides have succumbed to before and after them.
Now the Greek champions must try to overturn the deficit once more in the Champions League knockout play-offs, but this time might be the hardest task of the lot on paper. Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen came to Piraeus and punished Olympiacos for their mistakes, and it feels like a huge ask for Jose Luis Mendilibar and his players to qualify for the round of 16 now. But as is the mantra of the club: ‘We Keep On Dreaming’.
Last time in the Champions League
Thrylos, despite some good spells in the first half in particular, could not replicate the victory of a month ago in the league phase, with they themselves suffering a 2-0 defeat in Karaiskakis.
An overall positive first-half performance saw Tzolakis come to the hosts’ rescue on multiple occasions, and El Kaabi head the ball into the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out due to Mehdi Taremi touching the ball in an offside position.
Due to a clash of heads between centre-back pairing Panos Retsos and Lorenzo Pirola, the Italian was forced off and replaced by Giulian Biancone. While the Frenchman cannot be solely blamed for the defeat, he is at least partly culpable.
On the hour mark, the game began to unravel. A well-oriented counter attack put Patrick Schick through on goal with the Czechia international breaking the deadlock and making it 1-0 to the Bundesliga side.
Minutes later, Leverkusen won a corner, with Schick grabbing a brace after he was left unmarked and Konstantinos Tzolakis, despite playing excellently throughout, was unable to do more than palm the ball into the side netting as the away side doubled their lead.
The Greek champions continued to press without carving out any hugely meaningful chances, as the away side saw out the match 1-0 and consigned Olympiacos to the prospect of a mountain to climb in Germany.
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League results
In the aftermath of the defeat in Europe and a patchy last few matches domestically, Mendilibar made eight changes in total to the starting XI for his side’s league game against Panetolikos. They ran out 2-0 victors against the Canaries in a match that should have been put to bed far earlier than it did.
The first 30 minutes were cagey, with Thrylos clearly anxious to get that early goal to take the pressure off themselves. As half-time drew closer, they finally went in front thanks to a well-taken header from a corner, scored by Lorenzo Pirola.
After the break, with Panetolikos rarely bothering their opponents, Olympiacos searched for a way to increase their lead. Although their attack was much more active in the middle of the pitch, with fewer hopeful crosses into the box than against Levadiakos, and a lively Diogo Nascimento and Chiquinho driving them forward, the Piraeus side, try as they might, were unable to double their lead.
In a match that should have probably ended 6-0, they finally sealed the three points late on. Substitute Yussuf Yazici, who has been an excellent impact player for this side all season, curled the ball home to make it 2-0 at the end of normal time, and Olympiacos capped off the week with a much-needed win.
Perhaps some reassurance for the Greek champions is that Bayer Leverkusen returned to Bundesliga action only to suffer a 1-0 defeat in the German capital to Union Berlin. Rani Khedira’s effort in the first half was enough to hand Die Werkself their first defeat in the league since mid-January.
End of the road or an unlikely upset?
There is no sugar-coating it for Olympiacos supporters – it is highly unlikely that they will qualify for the last 16 on Tuesday night. Losing at home, and especially without scoring, gives them a huge disadvantage going into a game where Bayer Leverkusen have a comfortable two-goal cushion.
What is important, however, is that, based on the impression that both Mendilibar and the players have given in interviews, they are all united and are ready to do their utmost to turn the tie around.
There will almost certainly be some sort of reaction in Germany and we will surely see a better overall performance from Thrylos. It is just whether it will be enough.
Either way, supporters of the Greek champions can be proud of their team if they bow out of Europe.
With the huge budget, squad worth, and wage disparity between the elite clubs in the Champions League, compared to some, Olympiacos have done themselves proud.
Projected to not even qualify for the play-offs, they have given their fans several memorable European nights and their campaign has shown the fantastic work Mendilibar and his players have put in to become a Champions League side again.
But there is still one game to turn it around, and even with everything stacked against them, that is exactly how supporters of Olympiacos want it to be.
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