Olympiacos vs West Ham United

Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is the venue as Olympiacos and West Ham United go head-to-head in their first-ever Europa League encounter.

High scoring has been a common theme in Olympiacos’ opening two Europa League matches, with each seeing both sides get on the scoresheet at least twice. But Diego Martinez’s side failed to make their effort worthwhile, losing 3-2 to Freiburg on matchday one before dropping a two-goal cushion in a 2-2 stalemate at TSC Backa Topola last time out. That draw halted Olympiacos’ three-match winning streak in domestic football, a run they were keen to extend against eternal rivals Panathinaikos at the weekend, only to see fan riots stop the proceedings and postpone the game. Despite their relatively sluggish Group A start, the Greek giants have gone from strength to strength this season, suffering just one defeat in 13 matches across all competitions (W9, D3).

On the other hand, West Ham’s bid to build on last season’s Europa Conference League success has been off to the best possible start, with David Moyes’ side following up a 3-1 demolition of TSC with a 2-1 win at Freiburg in round two. But they’ve suddenly run out of steam, conceding multiple goals in back-to-back Premier League fixtures in the build-up to this trip (D1, L1), including a dreadful 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa over the weekend. Despite their domestic struggle, West Ham will feel confident in Piraeus after setting the new English-record 17 successive games unbeaten in European competition (W16, D1) last time out. Adding to that sentiment, the ‘Hammers’ have never lost a continental fixture against Greek opposition (W1, D1)! There’s no room for complacency, though, as they’ve blown hot and cold across their last four travels (W2, L2).