Qarabag’s 8th opponent in the Europa League group stage is a familiar team, Olympiacos, who faced the Azerbaijani side two seasons ago, suffering a 3-0 loss at home in Piraeus.
Though we know the Greek club well, Idman.biz decided to take a closer look at the rich history of this 100-year-old rival.
Founded in 1925, Olympiacos will celebrate its centenary on March 10. The club won its first national championship six years after its formation, and since then, it has become Greece's most successful team with a record 47 titles. The latest championship victory came in the 2021/2022 season. Olympiacos also holds the record for most Greek Cup wins with 28 trophies.
In the most recent Greek championship, Olympiacos finished in third place. However, in the current season, they sit at the top of the table with 44 points from 20 games, 4 points ahead of second-place AEK.
Looking at their international history, Olympiacos' best results came in the 1992/1993 and 1998/1999 Champions League seasons, where they reached the quarterfinals. However, in May of last year, they achieved their greatest accomplishment: reaching the final of the Conference League. Although they lost to Italy's Fiorentina in the final, it remains the club's most significant achievement.
In the current European season, Olympiacos started with a defeat, losing 2-0 to Lyon in the first round of the Europa League group stage. This remains their only loss so far in the tournament. They have since earned 3 wins and 3 draws, including a 3-0 victory over Braga in the second round. The Greek club also secured narrow 1-0 wins against Malmö and Porto in the third and seventh rounds. Other matches ended in a 1-1 draw with Rangers and 0-0 draws with FCSB and Twente. Olympiacos is currently in 12th place with 12 points and has already secured their spot in the next stage. However, the club hopes to avoid the playoffs and qualify directly for the Round of 16 by claiming 3 points against Qarabag, relying on favorable results from other matches.
Vugar Mammadov
Idman.biz
