Olympiacos bring unbeaten domestic form to Emirates for UCL clash
Arsenal return to Champions League action on Wednesday night, and this is the sort of game they should be expected to win. But Olympiacos’ visit to the Emirates is unlikely to be straightforward, and Mikel Arteta has been clear that complacency cannot creep in.
The Gunners head into the tie on the back of a dramatic late win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park, a result that injected belief into the squad and gave them a timely boost in the league.
That victory, added to the opening-day European win over Athletic Bilbao, has helped build momentum, yet Arteta knows how quickly that can fade.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have a really difficult one,” he warned in his pre-match press conference. “We know how important the home front is going to be to reach in this phase where we want to arrive, and tomorrow we have the opportunity to start well.”
His words reflect a cautious but determined outlook: the message is to respect the opponent, not assume the points are already secured.
Olympiacos may not be Champions League favourites, but they are in good domestic form and arrive unbeaten in the Greek Super League.
They even secured their own stoppage-time winner at the weekend, showing they have the resilience to battle until the final whistle. For Arsenal, that is a warning sign.
Arteta is boosted by a near full-strength squad, with only Piero Hincapie, Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus missing.
The rest of his options are available, including Martin Odegaard, who impressed off the bench against Newcastle. That depth has been key in recent weeks, with substitutes regularly influencing games, something the manager has embraced.
The record books favour Arsenal heavily. Thirteen straight Champions League home wins in the group/ league stages underline the Emirates as a fortress, and the clean sheet streak across the last ten of those suggests Olympiacos face a daunting task.
Still, history also tells another story: the Greek side have won their last three visits to north London, a run that gives them every reason to believe they can cause another upset.
For Arsenal, the task is clear. These are the nights that separate contenders from challengers, and Arteta wants his players to show maturity as well as ambition.
“We have the same ambition, which is to go game by game and try to be better than the opponent,” he said. That has to be the guiding principle if Arsenal are to avoid a shock and keep control of their European campaign.
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