Olympiakos's tight defence meets Sparta's sharper attack

Olympiakos and Sparta Praha both need points early in the Europa League league stage, and Thursday’s clash at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus could shape how the two sides approach the rest of the campaign.

Two sides, two different strengths

Olympiakos sit 10th of 36 teams with six points from two games, one place and two points ahead of Sparta, who have four. Both have won once and both have a positive goal difference, but their profiles are very different. Olympiakos have been hard to break down, while Sparta have been far more potent going forward. The question is whether the home side’s organised back line can contain a visiting attack that has already found the net five times.

Form: solid at the back, dangerous in front

Olympiakos have won both matches so far, scoring three and conceding just one. Their only clean sheet came on the road, and their goals have tended to arrive in the first half. Sparta have not lost yet, with a win and a draw, and they have been the more productive side, scoring five times and averaging two and a half goals per game. Their weakness is at the back: they have conceded twice, and their away form has been mixed rather than dominant.

Team news

Olympiakos will be without several players. Ahmed El Kaabi is out with a broken leg, Yazici is sidelined by a knee injury, and L. Bailey is inactive. Clayton, M. Mouandilmadji, B. Popovic, J. Roca and L. Scipioni are all off the roster.

Sparta have a longer list of absentees. M. Andersen and O. Penxa are out with knee injuries, E. Cobbaut and E. Uchenna with groin problems, and A. Karabec and M. Rynes with ankle injuries. L. Mbe Soh and A. Sevinsky are doubts because of health problems.

Our prediction

PreviaXI’s model favours Olympiakos, and the football backs that up. Olympiakos’s home record and organised defence should give them the edge, but Sparta’s attack is too good to dismiss, so this looks like a match that could be tight and open. Expect the hosts to take control early and then hold on as the visitors search for a way through.

Olympiakos Piraeus 2-1 Sparta Praha