FC Barcelona vs Olympiacos: "Never say never" at Montjuïc | OneFootball

Eurokinissi | Giorgos Matthaios

Olympiacos walk into Montjuïc as massive underdogs against the reigning Spanish champions and last season’s UEFA Champions League semi-finalists. But the timing isn’t terrible. Barcelona’s high line has frayed, key attackers are missing or just returning, and the Olympic Stadium’s early kick-off atmosphere (18:45 local) has been flatter than week-old soda. If there’s a window for Thrylos to bloody a heavyweight’s nose, this might be it.

1) Montjuïc ≠ Camp Nou. Only a fraction of Barça’s season-ticket holders took the Montjuïc option. The “chanting stand” is out, tourists are in, and at early kick-offs you can hear the away end breathe. Expect our fans to sound like the home end.

2) Barça’s structural wobble. Hansi Flick’s ultra-aggressive high line still asks centre-backs to defend a lot of green grass. Last season, the press locked the front door; this season, lower-table La Liga sides have picked the lock repeatedly. Sevilla provided a blueprint: go man-to-man in midfield, don’t let Pedri and De Jong think, and attack the space behind Jules Kounde.

3) Personnel pinch. Barça arrive with important absences up front and minutes piling up in midfield. Lamine Yamal is easing back, others are sidelined, and while Marcus Rashford has chipped in (and taken dangerous set pieces), there’s less chaos from the wings than usual.

Mendilibar-ball is non-negotiable: high press, traps through the two central mids, brave rest defence. That identity took us from Conference League glory to a domestic double—now it’s being tested at Champions League altitude.

The manager’s weekend warning after Larisa (“If we play like that, we’ll eat eight”) landed like a slap—part motivation, part reality check. The team isn’t fully “clicked in” yet, and central midfield is the ongoing riddle.

Around that, Mendilibar is still searching for the right balance. Dani García is his first name on the team sheet in midfield—positionally savvy, street-wise, but he’ll be living on a yellow-card tightrope if isolated against Pedri and De Jong. Santiago Hezze (our bionic man μηχανάκι) is vital to the press traps and lane interceptions, even if his progression hasn’t jumped a level yet.

Daniel Podence vs Jules Kounde is the matchup to circle. Sevilla battered that corridor with balls in behind; Kounde’s positioning has been loose this season. Podence isn’t at 100% after a disrupted pre-season, but his 1v1 craft and blind-side runs are our cleanest path to get those signature crosses into El Kaabi and fire away shots.

What Barça still do (very) well

The game within the game

Press vs press. Both sides want to play on the front foot. If our first wave connects, Barça’s back line gets stretched and the offside trap becomes roulette. If their first line pins us, our high rest-defence gets exposed.

Middle-third bravery. Sevilla went man-to-man in midfield. Don’t expect Mendilibar to copy-paste; it’s not his way. But we can still borrow the principle: Touch-tight when the next pass is obvious, then jump. The first 15 minutes are the oxygen mask—shock them early or you’re chasing patterns.

Discipline. Dani García’s card management is a subplot. One mistimed early bite turns our press into a Jenga tower.

Three keys for Olympiacos

Probable frameworks

Olympiacos (4-2-3-1): Tzolakis; Costinha, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Hezze, Dani García, Chiquinho, Gelson Martins, Podence; El Kaabi

Barcelona (4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1): Szcezny; Kounde, Eric García, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Pedri, Fermín, Yamal, Rashford, Bardghji

Set-piece margin

Barça have leaned on restarts; we must avoid cheap fouls in crossing zones and be alive to their near-post crowding. At the other end, El Kaabi’s first contact and Retsos’ blocking lanes can generate a “free” chance. One set play could be the whole story.

What “success” looks like

If that happens, the final half-hour becomes a coin-flip in a quiet stadium against a patched-up front line. And in Europe, coin-flips are how underdogs write memories.

Fun fact for the away-day quiz: Olympiacos legend Giovanni and the likes of Rivaldo and Saviola wore both shirts; Eric Abidal too. We’ve even shared a manager—Ernesto Valverde—who still speaks about Piraeus with genuine affection. There’s history here; add a new chapter.

The bottom line

It’s a big ask. But if you’re going to face Barcelona, face them now: press not purring, front line patched, atmosphere sleepy. Start fast, hunt that left channel, and be selective with the chaos. There’s a puncher’s chance—and we’ve landed those before.

Check out FULL MATCH PREVIEW on our YouTube channel and Subscribe for more. We'll be back for postmatch -- whatever happens, we’ll be there to make sense of it.