MX23RW : Thursday, April 25 12:53:12| >> :600:7958245:7958245:
[monks data]
Olympiacos
- | -
Sep 18, 2012 at 7.45pm UK
 
Schalke

1-2

Preview: Olympiakos vs. Schalke 04

Sports Mole previews the Champions League Group B clash between Olympiakos and Schalke O4.

Olympiakos begin their Champions League campaign against Schalke 04 on Tuesday, with both sides enjoying unbeaten starts to their respective domestic seasons.

Olympiakos faced German opposition in the group stages of the competition last season, emerging as 3-1 winners against Borussia Dortmund in Athens. Meanwhile, the history points to an open game in Greece, with Olympiakos' last six home fixtures against German clubs throwing up 29 goals.

Tuesday's match will be Schalke's 150th game in European competition, with their last success coming in the 1997 UEFA Cup. They will need to improve their recent record to claim the three points, however, as they have failed to score on matchday one in their last four European campaigns.

The home side enter the match with an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, with Avraam Papadopoulos their only notable absentee. Meanwhile, Giannis Maniatis and Vasilis Torosidis should both return to the starting side.

Schalke, meanwhile, are expected to remain unchanged from their 2-0 win over Greuther Furth at the weekend. Skipper Benedikt Howedes will continue at right-back, while Lewis Holtby is expected to operate behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Recent form:

Olympiakos: WWWLD
Schalke: WWDWD

Possible lineups:

Olympiakos: Carroll; Torosidis, Papazoglou, Siovas, Holebas; Modesto; Abdoun, Maniatis, Fuster, Machado; Djebbour

Schalke: Unnerstall; Howedes, Papadopoulos, Matip, Fuchs; Jones, Neustadter; Farfan, Holtby, Draxler; Huntelaar.

Sports Mole says: 1-2


ID:45676: cacheID:45676:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3307:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Holstein Kiel30194760342661
2St Pauli30179456332360
3Fortuna DusseldorfDusseldorf30167764352955
4Hamburger SV30147955421349
5Karlsruher SCKarlsruher301210861451646
6Hannover301112752381445
7Hertha Berlin301281062511144
8SC PaderbornSC Paderborn30127114649-343
9Greuther Furth30126124043-342
10Elversberg30117124452-840
11Nuremberg30107133856-1837
12Magdeburg3099124246-436
13Schalke 04Schalke30106144656-1036
14Eintracht BraunschweigBraunschweig30104163341-834
15Wehen WiesbadenWiesbaden3088143241-932
16Hansa RostockHansa Rostock3094172750-2331
17KaiserslauternKaiserslautern3086164659-1330
18VfL OsnabruckOsnabruck3059162760-3324


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!