Olympiacos V Krasnodar
Wednesday 21st August 2019 – 20:00 Kick-Off
UEFA Champions League
Pick: Krasnodar or Draw (Double Chance)
Odds: 81/100
Bookmaker: MarathonBet
 |
1 | X | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1 | 21/10 | 29/10 |
* (All betting odds displayed were correct as of 19th August 2019 at 19:20)
Preview: The dust has not long settled on their stunning victory over FC Porto in the previous round and Krasnodar are already back in action, only now they are one step closer to a first group stage appearance in the Champions League. Their opponents are Greek side Olympiacos, who are seeking a third consecutive home win in these qualifying rounds. Something has to give inside the Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens.
UEFA Champions League Betting with 22Bet
Olympiacos Preview – Greeks to assert themselves once again as the home side?
The Greek side are no stranger to Champions League group stages, playing their part in some memorable encounters down the years. Back home, though, the club is no longer the dominant force it once was and this has had a profound effect on their fortunes in Europe. To the point where only one of the previous three seasons (2017-18) was spent in European football’s premier club competition.
Failure to secure any league championships since the 2016-17 campaign has meant Olympiacos have either needed to qualify the hard way for the Champions League, by negotiating one or more qualifying rounds, or, worst still, missing out altogether. So they will be determined to seize their moment against Russian side Krasnodar, no doubt full of confidence after overcoming two tricky opponents in the earlier rounds.
In the second round, Czech Republic’s Viktoria Plzen were simply no match for Pedro Martins and his Olympiacos team; a 0-0 draw away from home preceding an emphatic 4-0 victory in Greece. The following round pitted them against Turkey’s Istanbul Basaksehir; and while the final aggregate score of 3-0 would imply serene progression for the Greeks, the match statistics from both encounters would suggest it was a much closer two-legged affair than would have us believe.
Best Olympiacos Bet – Olympiacos to WIN @ 11/10 Betfair? With the Greek season still not underway, we don’t really have much to go on. What we do have is their league form from last season which, when combined with their results in the earlier rounds of this competitions, does make for a rather compelling case about the home side winning. Olympiacos won 13 of 15 home league matches in 2018/19 (W13 D1 L1, GF42 GA8).
Krasnodar Preview – Russian side to produce another massive away result?
While perhaps not a household name to most casuals, Krasnodar have been quietly establishing a useful reputation on the continent. None more so was this in evidence than in the previous round, as the Russian side stunned virtually everyone by overcoming Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto to progress on away goals despite losing the first leg 1-0 at home. Now they are two matches away from potentially reaching the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in their history.
The group stages are within touching distance because of a simply phenomenal team performance in Portugal, the setting for their shock win against FC Porto. Goals from Tonny Vilhena and Magomed Suleymanov, with the latter scoring twice on the night, had seen Krasnodar race into a 3-0 lead at the Estadio do Dragao before withstanding some late pressure from the home side to eventually prevail 3-2. There is no guarantee of a repeat performance, though.
For example, the Russian side enjoyed an excellent run to the last-sixteen of last season’s Europa League. However, on the five occasions they were the visiting side, only once – against an Akhisarspor side that would later be relegated from Turkey’s top division – did they record a winning outcome. Those other trips consisted of defeats away to Standard Liege (2-1), Sevilla (3-0) and Valencia (2-1), as well as drawing in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen (1-1).
Best Krasnodar Bet – Win or Draw (Double Chance) @ 81/100 MarathonBet? They have gone to Porto and won. They have also gone to the reigning Russian champions and avoided defeat, earning a very credible 1-1 draw with Zenit St Petersburg. In fact, Krasnodar are in the early throes of their domestic season and are sat prominently in third position with the team currently unbeaten in five league games (W4 D1).
Olympiacos V Krasnodar Key Facts:
- During the 2018/19 league season in Greece, Olympiacos won 13 of 15 matches played at home (W13 D1 L1).
- Krasnodar have won one of three away league games in 2019/20 (W1 D1 L1).
- Previous Round: Olympiacos eliminated Basaksehir 3-0 on aggregate (2-0 at home). Krasnodar prevailed on away goals against FC Porto 3-3 on aggregate (won 2-3 away).
Betting Summary
The most recognisable name in Greek football perhaps but Olympiacos are not the divine power they once were. Not that it has prevented them from swatting away some earlier opponents in this competition, knocking both Viktoria Plzen and Basaksehir out thanks in no small part to 4-0 and 2-0 home victories, respectively. Will they make it a third home success in a row?
Conversely, Krasnodar are not the most recognisable name in Russian football. Far from it. Nonetheless, this is a team which has quietly amassed plenty of recent experience in Europe, albeit exclusively in the Europa League, and after dumping out FC Porto in the previous round should be feeling supremely confident here.
Playing in Greece is rarely an easy backdrop for a visiting team in Europe. Especially one with a dubious away record such as Krasnodar, who fell to several defeats on their travels in last season’s Europa League. However, something very similar could be said for playing in Porto and yet the Russian outfit still left Portugal celebrating a magnificent result. The visitors are evidently capable of a big away performance, which makes them worthwhile chancing here.
