Since the return of club football, FCSB have already played two matches, while Olympiacos have contested only one. The Greek side faced a comparable opponent but managed an easy victory. Meanwhile, the Romanian team somehow contrived to lose one of their matches to an underdog.
In terms of class, the club from Romania lags behind their southern opponents. They currently trail four teams in their national league, although the gap to first place is only three points. In the general phase of the Europa League, their opponents were all beatable, yet they had no chance against a solid Rangers side (0:4).
Olympiacos, by defeating AEK (4:1) in the 12th round of the Super League, pulled three points clear of AEK and took the solo lead for the first time since the third round. Ayoub El Kaabi scored a hat-trick in the capital derby and leads the scoring charts with 12 goals. The Moroccan is on fire—he has scored in each of the four matches in November, netting six goals in total. His superb form has helped Olympiacos win all these games.
Playing matches every two to three days should negatively affect the hosts. They are likely to tire towards the end of the match, tipping the balance in favour of Olympiacos.
