OLYMPIACOS’ NEXT EUROPA OPPONENT JUST TOOK A 4–1 BEATING | OneFootball

Junior Olaitan of Besiktas controls the ball during the UEFA Europa League 2026/27 League Phase MD1 match between Besiktas JK and Olympique de Marseille at Besiktas Park on September 17, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

Olympiacos' next Europa League match is almost a month away. The preparation for it effectively began Thursday night in Istanbul. Marseille travelled to Beşiktaş for their opening league-phase game and left with a 4–1 defeat, conceding three times after halftime as a competitive European away match turned into something considerably uglier.

Olympiacos will visit Marseille on October 15 for Matchday 2. That gives Imanol Alguacil and his staff plenty of time to study what happened in Turkey. They should because Beşiktaş may just have provided the first useful blueprint for attacking Olympiacos' next opponent.

The score matters less than how Marseille lost control

A 4–1 defeat can sometimes misrepresent a match. This one contained something more useful for Olympiacos.

Marseille initially responded to adversity. Beşiktaş scored through Faklı after 15 minutes, but Abdallah equalized in the 29th. The game therefore reached halftime in equilibrium.

Then it disappeared. Černý restored Beşiktaş' advantage after the interval before Murillo and Poku expanded the margin. Marseille were not simply overwhelmed from kickoff by a superior opponent. They remained in the game and then lost control of it.

For an opposing coaching staff, identifying why control disappeared is considerably more valuable than simply recording the final score.

This is where Imanol's football becomes interesting

Imanol's teams have traditionally wanted to create pressure through collective positioning rather than simply sending players toward the ball. The objective is not pressing for appearance's sake. It is making the opponent's next pass predictable.

That distinction could become extremely important against Marseille. If Olympiacos can steer Marseille's buildup toward specific zones, the next action becomes attackable.

Win the ball there and the transition does not begin from 70 metres away. It begins 35 or 40 metres from goal.

That is an entirely different attacking situation. Marseille's collapse in Istanbul suggests there may be opportunities once their defensive organization has been disturbed.

Olympiacos now possess several forwards capable of exploiting that space

The timing of the Mouandilmadji signing becomes interesting here. Olympiacos now possess different center-forward profiles. Hormiga González can threaten space aggressively. Roman Yaremchuk provides size and penalty-area presence. Ayoub El Kaabi, once available, remains the most established finisher in the group.

Marius Mouandilmadji adds another physical and transitional option domestically, although his European eligibility limits his relevance to this particular fixture.

That still leaves Imanol with multiple ways to attack Marseille. The important question will not simply be who starts at striker. It will be where Olympiacos recover possession before that striker receives the ball.

Freuler could become central to the game plan

The early signs around Remo Freuler make this matchup particularly intriguing. Against Jagiellonia, Olympiacos saw why the Swiss midfielder can become the organizational center of Imanol's team.

He does not need spectacular actions to influence possession. He positions. Anticipates. Connects and accelerates play when the next pass is available.

Those qualities matter enormously in European away matches. Olympiacos will not dominate every minute in Marseille. They shouldn't try to. There will be periods when the correct strategy is to absorb possession, maintain compact distances and wait for Marseille to expose the wrong passing lane.

A midfielder capable of recognizing that moment can transform defense into attack before the opponent has recovered.

But the 4–1 creates a danger too

There is one mistake Olympiacos cannot make. Assume Marseille are weak. They are not.

Poor form and poor quality are different things. Marseille still possess players capable of punishing mistakes individually, and an October European night at the Vélodrome will produce an entirely different environment from Thursday's match in Istanbul.

There is also nearly a month between now and the Olympiacos fixture. Football changes quickly. Managers adjust. Players return. Confidence shifts. A team that looks vulnerable in September can become considerably more coherent by mid-October. Imanol therefore cannot prepare for the scoreline. He must prepare for the structural weaknesses underneath it.

The league-phase mathematics have already changed

There is another reason Thursday matters. Olympiacos won their opener. Marseille lost theirs. After the first round, Olympiacos therefore possess three points and Marseille none. That changes the psychological equation on October 15. Marseille will be at home and after losing their opener, there will be greater pressure on them to take three points.

Olympiacos do not carry the same necessity. That potentially creates exactly the type of game an away team can exploit. Marseille push. Olympiacos remain compact. Marseille commit another player forward. Olympiacos recover possession. Suddenly there is space. The scoreboard in Istanbul may therefore influence the tactical environment in Marseille four weeks from now.

Imanol now has the most valuable thing a coach can receive: evidence

Olympiacos' Europa League opener provided three points. Thursday provided information. Marseille can be hurt. Beşiktaş demonstrated it emphatically. The challenge for Imanol's staff is determining which elements are reproducible. Where did Marseille lose possession? Which midfielder was pulled out of position? What happened behind the full-backs? How did Beşiktaş access the space between midfield and defense?

What triggered the second-half collapse?

Those questions will matter considerably more than 4–1 because Olympiacos do not need to copy Beşiktaş. They need to understand why Beşiktaş succeeded. There are four weeks until the Vélodrome. For a new coaching staff still teaching its own principles, that is valuable preparation time. Marseille's defeat provided the first film. Now Imanol gets to dissect it.