Olympiacos Piraeus
In the first match of the Champions League third qualifying round, Greek side Olympiacos will host Dutch side N.E.C. Nijmegen at Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis 4 August 2026 at 19:00 BST.
Neither team have played an official match this season, but based on previous experience, the Greek side have a noticeably better chance of staying in the Champions League for longer.
N.E.C. Nijmegen will play in the Champions League for the first time in their history, even if only in the qualifying section. In fact, N.E.C. have not appeared in any European competition since 2009. Olympiacos, meanwhile, start out in some European tournament every summer.
Yes, Olympiacos do not reach the main stage of the Champions League every season, but the previous campaign was exactly that kind of season. They managed to give most of the more established teams a fight and finished 18th with three wins and two draws. In the knockout play-off round, Bayer knocked the Piraeus side out (0:2, 0:0). The Legend play aggressive football, matching the mood of their stands. At Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis, that will be even more noticeable. The hosts will use both crosses from the flanks from Rodinei with Maffeo and Fortounis with Bruno, and attacks from deep through the centre. Ayoub El Kaabi will be there to finish off both types of move, with Roman Yaremchuk available as a replacement if needed.
Still, there is no need to think that, just because Nijmegen have not played in Europe for so long, they are certain to lose. It looks as though Olympiacos prepared for N.E.C. through other opponents from the Benelux region. Their last three matches were against N.E.C.'s close neighbours Ajax, Antwerp and AZ Alkmaar, and they lost to all of them. Against the last two, they even conceded three goals each. We think Nijmegen will also play on the front foot, just like the Legend's previous opponents, in a thoroughly Dutch style. Three centre-backs to create defensive density, and an inverted attacking triangle up front supported by wing-backs — Sami Ouaissa and someone else. Basar Onal has been sold to Lille, and Dick Schreuder is still deciding on his left-sided wide player.
Of course, experienced Olympiacos are favourites at home, but their results against other Dutch teams playing in a classic attacking style raise doubts about the hosts' success. The bookmakers, though, are making it clear that they expect at least three goals on a warm evening in Piraeus — over 2.5 goals.
Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain)
Matches – 10 (international fixtures, 2025–2026);
Average fouls per match – 24;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 3.2;
Matches with red cards – 2 out of 10;
Matches with penalties – 4 out of 10.
|
Imanol Alguacil
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Balša Popović
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
David Mota Veiga Teixeira do Carmo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Manolis Saliakas
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Panagiotis Retsos
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Rodinei Marcelo de Almeida
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Sopuruchukwu Bruno Onyemaechi
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Christos Mouzakitis
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Daniel García Carrillo
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Francisco Leonel Lima Silva Machado
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Joel Roca Casals
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ayoub El Kaabi
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Alexandros Tsompanidis
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dimitrios Stournaras
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Stefan Ortega Moreno
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Lorenzo Pirola
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pablo Carmine Maffeo Becerra
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Zinedin Smajlović
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Christos Filis
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gelson Dany Batalha Martins
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Gustavo Filipe Alves Freitas Azevedo Sá
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Konstantinos Fortounis
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Lorenzo Scipioni
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
João Pedro Ferreira Silva
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dick Schreuder
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Gonzalo Alejandro Crettaz Ortega
|
gk. | 1 | 0 |
|
Clement Mutahi Bischoff
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Deveron Fonville
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Philippe Sandler
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Tobias Storm
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Darko Nejašmić
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jamiro Gregory Monteiro Alvarenga
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Noé Lebreton
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Sami Ouaissa
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Tjaronn Inteff Chefren Chery
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Bryan Catharina Anna Petronella Linssen
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
K. Kers
|
0 | 0 | |
|
Freek Entius
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
J. Geneste
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Brayann Leanceley Christva Pereira
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Thomas Ouwejan
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Isak Hansen-Aarøen
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Willum Þór Willumsson
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Dušan Tadić
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Emre Mor
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kaj Sierhuis
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Bayer 04
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos Piraeus
Bayer 04
Ajax
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos Piraeus
Bayer 04
Kairat
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos Piraeus
Real Madrid
Olympiacos Piraeus
PSV
Barcelona
Olympiacos Piraeus
Arsenal
Olympiacos Piraeus
Olympiacos Piraeus
Pafos
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14:5 | 9 |
|
2
|
Aston Villa
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12:3 | 9 |
|
3
|
Liverpool
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12:7 | 9 |
|
4
|
Real Madrid
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10:5 | 9 |
|
5
|
Real Betis
|
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7:4 | 9 |
|
6
|
Stuttgart
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7:2 | 7 |
|
7
|
Arsenal
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6:2 | 7 |
|
8
|
Barcelona
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11:6 | 6 |
|
9
|
Como
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10:5 | 6 |
|
10
|
Manchester City
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9:5 | 6 |
|
11
|
Brugge
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9:6 | 6 |
|
12
|
Sporting CP
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7:4 | 6 |
|
13
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5:4 | 6 |
|
14
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10:5 | 5 |
|
15
|
AS Roma
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8:5 | 4 |
|
16
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4:3 | 4 |
|
17
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4:3 | 4 |
|
18
|
PSV
|
|
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2:2 | 4 |
|
19
|
Villarreal
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8:8 | 3 |
|
20
|
Inter Milan
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5:6 | 3 |
|
21
|
Manchester United
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5:6 | 3 |
|
22
|
Napoli
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5:7 | 3 |
|
23
|
Galatasaray
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6:9 | 3 |
|
24
|
LASK Linz
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6:9 | 3 |
|
25
|
FK Sabah
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:6 | 3 |
|
26
|
Feyenoord
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:8 | 3 |
|
27
|
Lens
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:7 | 3 |
|
28
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:9 | 3 |
|
29
|
AEK Athens
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:8 | 3 |
|
30
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3:8 | 3 |
|
31
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3:9 | 2 |
|
32
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4:7 | 1 |
|
33
|
Viking
|
|
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5:9 | 1 |
|
34
|
Porto
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2:6 | 0 |
|
35
|
Lille
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4:10 | 0 |
|
36
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:13 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10:3 | 6 |
|
2
|
Aston Villa
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9:1 | 6 |
|
3
|
Liverpool
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:4 | 6 |
|
4
|
Real Madrid
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:2 | 6 |
|
5
|
Real Betis
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 6 |
|
6
|
Como
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8:2 | 6 |
|
7
|
Stuttgart
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4:2 | 4 |
|
8
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:2 | 4 |
|
9
|
Arsenal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
|
10
|
Barcelona
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:1 | 3 |
|
11
|
Manchester City
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7:5 | 3 |
|
12
|
Brugge
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:3 | 3 |
|
13
|
Sporting CP
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:4 | 3 |
|
14
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
15
|
AS Roma
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7:4 | 3 |
|
16
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
17
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
18
|
Villarreal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:1 | 3 |
|
19
|
Inter Milan
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
20
|
Manchester United
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:0 | 3 |
|
21
|
Napoli
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
22
|
FK Sabah
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
23
|
Feyenoord
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
24
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
25
|
AEK Athens
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
26
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1:0 | 3 |
|
27
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3:3 | 2 |
|
28
|
PSV
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
29
|
Viking
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3:3 | 1 |
|
30
|
Galatasaray
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:4 | 0 |
|
31
|
LASK Linz
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3:6 | 0 |
|
32
|
Lens
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:2 | 0 |
|
33
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
34
|
Porto
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0:3 | 0 |
|
35
|
Lille
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4:7 | 0 |
|
36
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Arsenal
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3:2 | 4 |
|
2
|
PSG
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 3 |
|
3
|
Aston Villa
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
4
|
Liverpool
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6:3 | 3 |
|
5
|
Real Madrid
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:3 | 3 |
|
6
|
Real Betis
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
7
|
Stuttgart
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
|
8
|
Barcelona
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6:5 | 3 |
|
9
|
Manchester City
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
10
|
Brugge
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4:3 | 3 |
|
11
|
Sporting CP
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 3 |
|
12
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
13
|
PSV
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1:1 | 3 |
|
14
|
Galatasaray
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:5 | 3 |
|
15
|
LASK Linz
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:3 | 3 |
|
16
|
Lens
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:5 | 3 |
|
17
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3:3 | 1 |
|
18
|
AS Roma
|
|
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1:1 | 1 |
|
19
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
|
20
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1:2 | 1 |
|
21
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:4 | 1 |
|
22
|
Como
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
23
|
Villarreal
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5:7 | 0 |
|
24
|
Inter Milan
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:2 | 0 |
|
25
|
Manchester United
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
26
|
Napoli
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1:3 | 0 |
|
27
|
FK Sabah
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:4 | 0 |
|
28
|
Feyenoord
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
29
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3:9 | 0 |
|
30
|
AEK Athens
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:8 | 0 |
|
31
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:8 | 0 |
|
32
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:6 | 0 |
|
33
|
Viking
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:6 | 0 |
|
34
|
Porto
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
35
|
Lille
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
|
36
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:10 | 0 |
