Olympiacos: the strengths and weaknesses of its opponents

The time for the premiere of the Greek teams in the Europa League and Conference League groups is approaching Sports fm.gr They dealt with… the good and evil of their opponents!

Below, we’ll deal with it Olympiacowho will be invited to face off in the second-tier group of the UEFA competition consisting of two clubs West Ham, Freiburg and Baka Topola.

Holders of the conference league, last year… the familiar and inexperienced Serbian team that is not Čukaritski, in a few words, and which of course has points to fly but also those in which… they hurt.

West Ham

Where…fly: They have started the season in perfect form, sitting unbeaten at the top of the Premier League (3-1-0), while participating in Europe for the third year in a row thanks to last year’s victory in the Conference. League.

In short, his team David Mogis He began to get used to the two melons in one armpit, while he was strengthened after the departure of Rice with players such as Ward-Prowse, Kondos, Alvarez and, of course, Mavropanos. The Mexican seems to adequately cover, at the moment, the void in the center.

In addition, the Scottish coach continues for the fifth season in a row, having managed to re-establish himself in the team after his impressive career at Everton.

Where does it hurt: It is difficult to find significant negatives in “Hammers”. One element that stands out to the naked eye is the inability to keep clean sheets in defence. So far, West Ham have played four games, all in the Premier League, and despite being unbeaten, they have conceded a goal in every game.

We signed our first Greek international player???? pic.twitter.com/IR89h8mvh0

– West Ham United (@WestHam) September 4, 2023

Acquire it Dino Mavropanos This was done at the end of the transfer window in order to settle matters, but it is still too early to reach a conclusion on how quickly Mogis can improve his team’s defensive function.

The action was not seen early on, as in the two most dangerous pre-season friendly tests, the Londoners conceded a total of seven goals to Rennes and Leverkusen…

Freiburg

Where…fly: She has also performed well in Europe, where she is competing for the second season in a row. Last year, he succeeded again against Olympiacos, who defeated him away from home (3-0) and eventually tied at home 1-1. Among the stable teams in the Bundesliga in recent years, they also seem to be getting used to the Thursday-Sunday match system and as a representative of the Bundesliga they are always dangerous.

Remains…anonymous on the bench o Christian Streichwho took over the leadership of the team in 2011 and since then has witnessed the lowest lows (relegation to the second division) and the highest highs (European and Cup finals).

Freiburg’s core has also been largely retained, ensuring that the winning team does not change.

Where does it hurt: The Let It Be goalkeeper was sold for €13m to Brentford and is currently being replaced by youngster Atopolo, while Miller was also bought from Stuttgart. Overall, it is not yet clear whether the former will remain the main choice, as the Germans do not appear to be as strong under the positions compared to the other positions.

From now on, the bet is on strengthening the team in the first positions in addition to its European commitments. He did that last year as well, but the only three transfers he made raise questions about the depth of the roster.

Patska Topola

Where…fly: Together with Čukaretski, he managed to break the Red Star and Partizan double in Serbia last year, and even managed to get a ticket to the Champions League qualifiers – where he failed against Braga.

Much to the excitement, unlike Chukaritsky, TSC has entered the year very well and with a 5-1-0 record sits at the top of the standings in the domestic league. Set on the bench as of 2021, the former Rhodes footballer, Zarko Lazeticwhich witnessed the strengthening of its team with dozens of signings and is preparing for the biggest challenge in the club’s history.

The big advantage, at least within the boundaries, is the defensive function, with Batska yet to concede a goal in the league following a 3-3 draw with Partizan in the Premier League. It’s clearly not… Chukaretsky!

Where does it hurt: Bad lies, obvious inexperience. The start in the league may be excellent, but when the Devil’s Weeks begin with games on Thursday and Sunday, it is questionable how Lazetic will handle the pressure and fatigue.

It is also worth noting that in the two matches against Braga in the Champions League qualifiers, the performance was poor and the two results were defeats…with a score of (1-4, 0-3).

Finally, there may be an increase in quantity, but as for quality, we will have to wait. It is worth noting that Ratkov, last year’s top scorer, has left, as well as key players Stojkovic (full-back) and Vukic (striker), with the sale of the former fetching a record sum of five million euros. Of which 780 thousand were invested for purchase.