Who Are Olympiacos? Arsenal’s Champions League Opponents Explained

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·30 September 2025

Who Are Olympiacos? Arsenal’s Champions League Opponents Explained

Fittingly celebrating their 100-year anniversary, Olympiacos are back dining at UEFA’s top table after a four-year absence. That is largely thanks to a change in the competition’s formatting meaning the champions of Greece no longer had to go through the qualifying rounds.

Not that they have not been making headlines elsewhere.In 2024 the Thrylos lifted the UEFA Conference League, making them the first club from Greece to lift a European trophy. The irony was that such an historic achievement came at the end of a season where three managers had worked in Piraeus.

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Some might say that sums up their owner Evangelos Marinakis who of course is also in charge of Nottingham Forest.His reputation in his homeland is not too different to what exists in England. His conduct and behaviour divides the public outside of those who support the teams he runs because when push comes to shove the 58-year-old fulfils his ambitions.Off the pitch he has had to fight allegations of match fixing and drug trafficking.On the pitch he has led his hometown club to 11 Super League titles and five domestic cups.

A Club Driving Change in Greek Football

A month before winning the Conference League, the club’s under-19 side won the prestigious UEFA Youth League.Both successes for the senior and youth squads were highly celebrated in the country, especially that of the youngsters because they did not possess a single foreign player. Even at government level it has been heralded as a major development for the nation in a sport whose efforts to grow in the past have been undermined by disorganisation.

One of Mr Marinakis’s mission statements since 2010 was to produce home-grown talent.Even after the highs of Euro 2004, Greece’s national and club sides have not shaken the perception of being organised and conservative.Now there is a generation of Greek players who are comfortable in possession and dominate when pressing.The country’s most successful club is responsible for that.

Marinakis, Owner of Olympiacos, Nottingham Forest and Rio Ave (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Mendilibar’s Approach and the Test for Arsenal

Jose Mendilibar has played a part in that, the manager reviving the club since working outside Spain for the first time.

His tactics will be to let the Gunners have the ball but the moment the visitors win back possession he will order them to get the ball forward quickly to their attacking weapons. It is just a case of how often they can do that.

I am shocked no one has yet taken a punt on El Kaabi.Sixty-three goals in 101 fixtures for someone who was a free agent has proved to be a bargain.The challenge of course is to hang on to these youngsters, with Brighton paying 35 million in the summer for 18-year-old Kostoulous.

Regular opponents over the years, it might shock some to learn that Wednesday’s opponents have won on their last three visits to the Emirates, although two of those trips were in the Europa League. Being held at home by Pafos was seen as two points dropped, especially with the Champions League debutants playing the majority of the game with ten men.

With the two Spanish giants to play, they really needed to win that.If this was away it would be a banana skin, but while their fans will make a lot of noise in North London this should be a comfortable win.

Let me know your predictions in the comments peeps.

Dan Smith

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