Published 18:07 IST, September 18th 2019
UEFA Champions League 2019 : Olympiacos vs Tottenham Match Preview
Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Greece for their opening UEFA Champions League 2019/20 clash against Olympiacos. Here are some insights into the match.
Champions League kicked-off with a bang on Tuesday as Barca settled for a lucky draw while the English sides Chelsea and Liverpool faced an upsetting loss. Tottenham will travel to Karaiskakis Stadium for their opening group stage clash with Olympiacos. The former Champions League finalists will try to get a more positive start to their season compared to their last one. With Bayern Munich and Red Star Belgrade being the other teams in Group B, Spurs will very much like to get a three-points head start.
Olympiacos vs Tottenham: Current Form and Standing
Tottenham Hotspurs shocked everyone when they entered the Champions League final last season. Lucas Moura's heroics against Ajax was a moment every Spurs fan will cherish for their life. But that's in the past and the Pochettino-men are currently struggling to find an intact form in their league season. Tottenham has just bagged two wins in their last five matches (Win 2, Lost 2, Draw 1) and are standing third in the table.
On the other hand, Pedro Martin's side has made a strong start to their season. Olympiacos has won each of their three games played without conceding a single goal. Tottenham will have to grind hard to break Olympiacos Piraeus' husky momentum. Spurs' most convincing win of the year came in their last match against Crystal Palace. The Son-inspired side found the net four times and it can be a good sign for the team to enter their European season.
Head-To-Head:
Tottenham and Olympiacos have met just twice before, in a European double-header in 1972. Spurs won the home leg 4-0 and Olympiacos recovered with 1-0 reverse in Greece.
Olympiacos vs Tottenham: Injury Updates
Davinson Sanchez, Juan Foyth and Giovanni Lo Celso are ruled out of Wednesday's clash because of injuries. Kylie Walker-Peters has also joined the long list of Spurs' injury list. Mauricio Pochettino could breathe a sigh of relief with rumours of Tottenham's record-signing Tanguy Ndombele returning for their Champions League clash. New arrival Ryan Sessegnon could also be up for his debut match.
Olympiacos will have to do without Kostas Fortounis who is out with a cruciate ligament rupture, as well as center-back Ruben Semedo who is suffering from a meniscal injury. Mauricio Pochettino is expected to shuffle his team for the trip to Greece. He informed the press after the Palace game "We are after going to play Saturday and then in the Carabao Cup, many games, [so] I'm going to rotate the squad and the team and try to be creative on Tuesday." Dele Alli and Eric Dier can be seen in the starting XI as they were unused in the Crystal Palace clash.
Olympiacos vs Tottenham: Expected XI
Olympiacos F.C.:
Sa; Elabdellaoui, Meriah, Cisse, Koutris; Camara, Guilherme; Randjelovic, Valbuena, Podence; El Arabi
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.:
Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Ndombele, Sissoko; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane
Where to Watch:
The match will be aired live on Sony network channels and can be streamed live online via the Sony LIV app and the website. The coverage starts at 10:25 pm IST.
Updated 19:34 IST, September 18th 2019