OLYMPIAKOS v AROUCA
Thursday 25th August 2016 – Kickoff: 2045hrs
Football – Europe – Europa League Betting Tips
Olympiakos will get another bite of the european cherry following their shock Champions League exit to Israeli outfit Hapoel Beer Sheva in the qualifying rounds, and they hold the upper hand ahead of this Europa League play-off second leg against Arouca.
Olympiakos are usually a solid bet for at least a Champions League group stage place, but defeat to Hapoel mean they now have to go through the Europa League process, but with a very useful 1-0 win away at Arouca in last week’s first leg, they now return to their Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki in Pireas for this crucial clash.
In actual fact, prior to the recent win against Arouca, Olympiakos had failed to win any of their previous seven matches at this level, but with home home advantage here on Thursday night, they are the favourites to progress.
Visitors Arouca face a difficult assignment in Greece for this second leg of this play-off tie against Olympiakos, not least of all as they hold very little prior experience in this competition compared to their hosts on Thursday night.
Their 1-0 defeat at home to Olympiakos was only their third ever match in the Europa League and although they accounted for Dutch side Heracles in the previous round (1-1 after the second leg, but Arouca went through on the away-goal rule), I fear this game will be beyond them.
Arouca’s european pedigree is severely limited compared to that of Olympiakos and this could be the difference in the end in this play-off tie.
Pick: Olympiakos AH-1 @ 1.61 Bet Victor
