Barcelona vs Olympiacos match review, 11:45 p.m. October 21: Mission within reach

VHO - Commentary on the match Barcelona vs Olympiacos, Champions League qualifying round.

Barcelona vs Olympiacos form

Barcelona ended their two consecutive defeats last weekend. However, the way coach Hansi Flick and his team won certainly did not satisfy the fans.

Welcoming Girona, a team currently in the red zone, the Catalan giant still faces many difficulties. Possessing superior ball possession time (68%) and launching nearly 3 times more shots than the opponent, but in reality, the number of dangerous opportunities created by the home team is not much.

Even Barca's expected goals were only 1.77, slightly lower than the visitors' (1.84). It was thanks to a goal in the third minute of injury time by center-back Ronald Araujo that Blaugrana could breathe a sigh of relief and leave the field with all 3 points.

That narrow victory could not help Barcelona reclaim the top spot in La Liga because in the later match, Real Madrid also won. In the domestic league standings, Barca is still in 2nd place, 2 points behind the top spot held by their arch-rivals in Madrid.

This midweek, coach Flick and his team will play again in the third round of the Champions League qualifying round. After 2 matches, Lamine Yamal and his teammates have only won 1 and lost 1. Therefore, defeating Olympiacos is considered a mandatory task.

Barcelona's recent home form in Europe's most prestigious arena is not good. In the last 2 times hosting guests, the home team drew 3-3 with Inter Milan and suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of PSG.

However, Barca's ability to complete the set goal is still highly appreciated. Simply because the opponent on the other side of the battle line is not a face of the same level to bring too much worry.

Lamine Yamal and his teammates are not in good form recently.

After two matches, Olympiacos have only earned 1 point from a disappointing 0-0 draw against newcomer Pafos (Cyprus) in the opening match. In the remaining match, the reigning Greek champions accepted a 0-2 defeat at Arsenal's Emirates.

Olympiacos’ recent performance has not brought many optimistic signs. Right after leaving England empty-handed, coach Jose Luis Mendilibar and his team continued to lose 2-1 at PAOK and lost the top spot in the domestic league to this opponent.

Before marching to Spain, Olympiacos managed to regain some confidence thanks to a 2-0 victory at AEL Larisa. But with their current unstable form, the away team's chance of creating a surprise against an opponent who is stronger in every aspect is very low.

Barcelona vs Olympiacos squad information

Barcelona: Robert Lewandowski, Joan Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi and Dani Olmo are all out due to injury. Ferran Torres is only slightly injured but coach Flick is unlikely to risk using the Spanish international yet.

Olympiacos: Rodinei and Gabriel Strefezza are notable absentees for the visitors.

Expected lineup Barcelona vs Olympiacos

Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martin; De Jong, Garcia, Casado; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford

Olympiacos: Tzolakis; Costinha, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia, Hezze; Martins, Chiquinho, Podence; El Kaabi

Prediction: 3-1

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/nhan-dinh-tran-dau-barcelona-vs-olympiacos-23h45-ngay-2110-nhiem-vu-trong-tam-tay-175987.html