The UEFA Europa League returns with Round 3 matches on Thursday, 26 October 2023, and we have an intriguing Group A matchup between Olympiacos and West Ham. The Hammers won both opening games, while the Greek outfit has just one point and is desperate to get a win at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. Check out our Olympiacos vs West Ham betting preview and prediction.
Olympiacos (Form and News)
After a fiery ‘derby of the eternal enemies’ against Panathinaikos which was suspended due to crowd trouble and eventually abandoned, Olympiacos must dust themselves down and prepare to resume their pursuit of a first UEFA Europa League (UEL) group victory this term. The two UEL games Diego Martínez’s men have played so far (D1, L1) represent half of the matches that Olympiacos have failed to win this season (W9, D3, L1), so they’ll hope to replicate their domestic form on the European stage.
Doing so against West Ham United may be easier said than done though, with the Red and Whites winless in five straight home meetings with English opponents - the latest two of which were a pair of defeats in 2020/21 against Arsenal and Manchester City. Reversing that form may be problematic based on recent competition form too, as they’ve lost five straight UEL home outings in the competition proper, conceding almost three goals per match (14) in the process.
Hot stat: Including the weekend’s abandoned derby, ten of Olympiacos’ last 11 matches saw scoring in both halves.
Player to watch: On loan at Olympiacos from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Daniel Podence heads into this clash having scored four times in his last five appearances. He also had a goal contribution in his last two home encounters against the Hammers (G1, A1).
Diego Martínez will be without Doron Leidner (knee), Andreas Ntoi (suspension), and Omar Richards (calf). Athanasios Androutsos (injury), Bandiougou Fadiga (injury), and Nicolas Freire (muscle) are questionable to feature on Thursday.
West Ham (Form and News)
Much like their hosts, West Ham also had a testing weekend, albeit for very different reasons, as they were put in their place with a 4-1 loss against Aston Villa. Despite the Irons’ failure to win domestically (D1, L1) since they set a new English record for 17 consecutive matches unbeaten in European competition (W16, D1) in round two, the reigning UEFA Europa Conference League champions now have a real opportunity to stamp their mark on the group.
There could be a little bit more history made here as the Hammers search for what would be a very first set of back-to-back away triumphs inside 90 minutes in their UEL history after winning 2-1 at Freiburg in the previous round. That said, West Ham have lost ‘to nil’ in regulation time in three of their four UEL away games following an away victory, a fate they’ll hope to avoid by extending their unbeaten record against Greek clubs (W1, D1).
Player to watch: Jarrod Bowen, the West Ham hero who bagged the matchwinner in last season’s European final and more recently recorded four goal contributions (G3, A1) across his last six outings for club and country.
David Moyes doesn’t have any new injury-related concerns. Only Aaron Cresswell (thigh) and Benjamin Johnson (groin) are questionable to face Olympiacos.
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Olympiacos vs West Ham H2H Record
These two sides have never faced before.
Olympiacos vs West Ham Odds
If you believe Olympiacos can record their first win of this year’s UEL, back them at +245. A draw is at +265, while West Ham to win can be found at +125. For the goals, Over 2.5 is at -127, and Under 2.5 is at +115. The bettors who think both teams will score in this one can back BTTS YES at -149, while BTTS NO is at +138. Take a look at more soccer odds here.
Olympiacos vs West Ham Betting Pick
Only one of Olympiacos’ last ten matches failed to produce Over 2.5 goals. Five of those nine Over 2.5 goals games provided goals on both ends. The Greek side scored in each of their eight home matches this season, while they scored 2+ in the previous seven at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.
West Ham, on the other hand, managed to find the back of the net in each game in this campaign. Their main problem remains the defense as the Hammers kept the net intact in just two of 12 matches. Five of their last six road matches produced Over 2.5 and goals on both ends, so I am going to back an entertaining duel in Greece with plenty of goals.
AUTHOR: Oliver Zivic
