Olympiacos take on the visitors Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of UEFA Champions League round of 1/16-finals. The match will be played on Wednesday, February 18th at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium (Piraeus).
Olympiacos were rightfully considered the leading club in their country. Then came an unpleasant and clearly unsuccessful spell, but two years ago they appointed Mendilibar, not the most famous but a very competent Spanish coach. He immediately won the Conference League (notably, the first European trophy in Greece’s history!), and in his first full season in Greece, 2024/2025, he restored the league title. This season they are again determined not to give up their Super League leadership, even though AEK and PAOK remain close behind. In the Champions League, they also managed to escape from a very difficult situation. After five rounds they had two draws and three defeats, and it seemed that only mathematical playoff chances remained. But those chances were taken, as they finished the league phase with three straight wins, including a victory over Bayer. Recently, Olympiacos have been showing strong home form, combining control with efficiency in decisive moments. Their results suggest growing confidence, especially in high-pressure matches.
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Bayer are trying to save the season. The “Pharmaceuticals” are living in the shadow of their own success from the season before last, when they completed a historic golden double. After that triumph, Xabi Alonso stayed for another year and finished second in the Bundesliga. When he left for Madrid, the club appointed Ten Hag, which, combined with several departures, resulted in a disastrous start. By early autumn, Julmand took over as head coach, but even with him progress has been limited, with a top-four Bundesliga finish the realistic ceiling. In the cup competitions, things also fell apart. Still, in the Champions League, despite a painful 2–7 loss to PSG and an overall unconvincing start, they eventually collected three wins and three draws to reach the playoffs. It helped that their final match was against an unmotivated and struggling Villarreal, whom they crushed 3–0. Lately, Bayer have looked more balanced, especially away from home, where results have stabilized. Their recent matches indicate a team that is gradually regaining structure and competitiveness.
In 2002, during the group stage, the teams exchanged home wins. Then, only in January, the clubs met again, with a 2–0 victory for the Greeks. The Germans are likely to arrive more focused and determined to put up a real fight. The bet is that the visitors from Leverkusen will avoid defeat this time.
Prediction for the match: Bayer Leverkusen not to lose (X2).
