Arsenal have nothing to play for in Athens on Tuesday but that is quite the opposite for Olympiakos who have Champions League qualification in their sights.
The Premier League club are sending a youthful squad to Greece, having already secured top spot in Group F, and it is hard to imagine Arsene Wenger’s men going through the pain barrier to deny their opponents.
Arsenal have surged into the last 16 with three wins and two draws in the section but they were pushed all the way by Tuesday’s hosts at The Emirates in late September and Olympiakos are sure to thrive on home soil in the return fixture.
It finished 2-1 in London, Andre Santos scoring what turned out to be the winner, but the Greeks will have taken plenty of positives from the performance and they gave themselves every chance of reaching the knockout stages with a surprise 1-0 win over Marseille last time out.
That success in France has really put the heat on Marseille, who travel to Dortmund on Tuesday, and if Olympiakos can triumph against the Premier League side then they must stand every chance of filling the runners-up spot behind Arsenal.
Having opened with a 3-1 home win over Dortmund, Olympiakos proved once again they can compete with Europe’s best in front of their own fanatical fans and it is now eight successes in their previous 11 Champions League matches when hosting.
One of their wins in that time came over the Gunners two seasons ago, a 1-0 victory, and it occurred in identical circumstances to the one which presents itself tonight; coming as the final group match with Arsenal having already qualified.
Given the likely varying degrees of motivation on show, I can’t turn down the 2.00 about a home win despite the visitors excellent recent form and, if Olympiakos can find an early break through, they must triumph remember, then it could be a fairly comfortable night for the Greeks.
1pt Back Olympiakos (vs. Arsenal) @ 2.00 (Betfair)