Olympiacos have had an interesting season to say the least. They went through 4 managers last season and are on their 3rd this season which seems par for the course for Marinakis. As Greece's biggest club their are always under huge scrutiny. They have played all of Europe's biggest teams over the years including many sides in England. They knocked out Arsenal from the Europa League in 2020 and most recently faced West Ham in the Europa League group stage. They won the first game 2-1 before losing the return 1-0. Surprisingly with all this experience throughout the years in Europe, this will be their very first semi-final and this is a huge deal in Greece.
A bit like Forest (Marinakis' other team), they tend to sign and sell a lot during each transfer window. If a new signing isn't up to scratch quickly, they look to sell or loan out and get another signing in and with changing the manager all the time, they have their own ideas too. The team that plays Villa over the next week for example will likely be vastly different again next year and so on. This approach can backfire in Europe as for instance you can only register 3 new signings from the January transfer window and Olympiacos being Olympiacos signed 8 new players. Andre Horta, Chiquinho and David Carmo were the lucky 3 to get registered whilst the likes of Gelson Martins, Jovane Cabral and Fran Navarro have been restricted to playing in domestic competitions only.
This season by their incredibly high standard has been slightly off the pace in Greece. A horrendous night in Freiburg in the Europa League led to the sacking of Diego Martinez and he was replaced by former Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea coach, Carlos Carvalhal in December. A cup exit and defeat in the League to arch-rivals Panathinaikos saw the end of him in February and he has been replaced by the current incumbent Jose Luis Mendilibar. Mendilibar of course won the Europa League last season with Sevilla and worked under Monchi. He has faced Emery many times throughout his career and so they will probably both know what the approach from the other one will be. Since Mendilibar came in, their performances have generally improved with their Europeans results being the catalyst for the improved morale. They overcame a disastrous 4-1 defeat to Maccabi Tel-Aviv, to win the return 6-1. Mendilibar is known for his pragmatic approach and he will cede possession to the opposition if needed. He likes his sides to press high up the pitch and generally plays a more direct style than most modern day clubs, with the wingers being key.
They have a big squad and despite a hectic fixture list, have rotated heavily and so they will be fairly fresh compared to us for the first leg.
Olympiacos may field this side:
Tzolakis (21) (GK) - young keeper who broke into the side very recently and has been a revelation for them and was the hero of the penalty shoot-out win over Fenerbahce
Rodinei (32) (DR) - Brazillian defender who likes to get forward and deliver from wide areas.
Retsos (25) (DC) - Once signed by Leverkusen for £16 million in 2017, injuries have blighted his career. Good defender but has a mistake in him.
David Carmo (24) (DC) - Signed on loan from Porto in January who signed him for €20 million two years ago from Braga. 6'5 defender and so is a set-piece threat.
Ortega (25) (DL) - Argentine left-back who likes to get forward similar to Rodinei.
Hezze (22) (DM) - Argentine defensive midfielder who been excellent for them. Gets through a lot of work
Chiquinho (28) (MC) - Signed in January from Benfica. Very technical player.
Fortounis (31) (AM) - Played for Olympiakos for 10 years. Plays on the wing generally, but can play in the 10 role. Playmaker and creator. 19 assists and 11 goals this season. 56 caps for Greece, 9 goals.
Daniel Podence (28) (AML/AMR) - On loan from Wolves. Well known in these parts. Probably their most dangerous player. Likes to come of the left-wing onto his right foot.
Jovetic (34) (AMC/ST) - Well known here for his Man City spell. In the autumn of his career. Likes to find the space between the midfield and defence.
El Kaabi (30) (ST) - Front man who has scored 28 goals this season in all competitions. Strong in the air and a decent number 9 with good movement.
Other Options
Iborra (36) (DM) - Former Leicester midfielder who was with Emery at Villarreal and Sevilla. Solid defensive midfielder
Andre Horta (27) (MC) - Signed on loan from Braga in January. Typical technical Portugese player.
Richards (26) (DL) - Back-up English full back on loan from Forest.
Alexandropoulos (22) (MC) - A young prodigy whose progress stalled at Sporting Lisbon. On loan at Olympiacos.
Ntoi (21) (DC) - Big aggressive young centre-back. Suspended for the first leg.
Masouras (30) (AML/AMR) - Good technical Greek player who has recently been mainly used from the bench. Suspended for the first leg.
El-Arabi (37) (ST) - Back-up forward that has been with Olympiacos for 5 years. Scored 95 goals in those 5 years but only used now off the bench.
Quini (34) (DR) - Back-up to Rodinei.
In summary, they aren't as good as Lille but they are a very good technical side who will test us a lot and considering our injury list, it will be very tough. Mendilibar will probably look to take the tie deep and get back to Greece with it all to play for.
