Freiburg vs Olympiacos Piraeus prediction: EUROPE: Europa League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-11-29 17:45.
Whilst springtime European football in some capacity is already secured for Freiburg, the German outfit can secure a top two finish, as well as UEFA Europa League (UEL) progression, if they claim at least a draw against Olympiacos. That would be a welcome boost for manager Christian Streich and his team after they fell to a fourth straight winless Bundesliga game over the weekend, failing to beat lowly Darmstadt in a drab 1-1 draw.
A more optimistic Freiburg fan may point out the fact that they enter this UEL clash on the back of their largest ever winning margin in European competition, a 5-0 thrashing of TSC in the previous round. The Bresigau Brazilians also take a psychological edge into this game after topping a group containing Olympiacos just last season, remaining unbeaten in all three H2Hs since the 2022/23 campaign (W2, D1).
It is a case of win or bust for Olympiacos, who will be consigned to finishing third or fourth with anything less than three points. After winning 3-1 in front of an empty stadium over the weekend, the Greek giants continued their pursuit of a 48th domestic title, but Diego MartĂnez and his charges will at least be buoyed by the return of their fiercely loyal travelling fans for this tough trip.
The difficulty of this particular assignment is underlined by Olympiacosâ dire away record against German opponents (W1, D1, L8), along with their frustrating return of one victory across their last ten European away games (W1, D7, L2). In any case, a strong start from either side may prove decisive, as four of Olympacosâ last five competitive away games were won âto nilâ (W3, D1, L1).
Players to watch: Freiburgâs Vincenzo Grifo finds himself joint top of the UEL scoring charts ahead of this round (G4, A1), a goal return that includes putting his side 2-1 up in the reverse. Trying to outdo him will be Olympiacosâ Ayoub El Kaabi, the Moroccan magician who averages one goal every two games since his move to Greece (GP20, G10).
Hot stat: None of Freiburgâs last 11 competitive games produced a goalless first half, whilst three of the last four saw both teams score before the interval.