Mendilibar Forced Between Aggression Or Control Ahead Of UCL Qualifier | OneFootball

Squad List Ahead of Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round, 1st Leg

The uncertainty is over: Santiago Hezze will not face NEC in the first leg.

Olympiacos’ official match squad omitted the Argentine midfielder, while Lorenzo Scipioni was included after recovering sufficiently from his own disrupted preparation. Giorgos Masouras was also left out as his reported move to Saudi Arabia progresses.

Hezze’s absence is the most important tactical development. Mendilibar’s pressing structure relies on a midfielder capable of covering the space left behind the first wave. Hezze provides both anticipation and recovery speed. Without him, Olympiacos cannot assume that the same aggressive pressure will retain the same defensive protection.

A Mouzakitis–Dani García pairing offers the greatest control. Mouzakitis can progress possession and receive through pressure; García can stabilize positioning and manage game rhythm. What it does not provide is Hezze’s range across open ground.

Scipioni supplies more athleticism but enters the match without a full preseason. His inclusion gives Mendilibar the option of starting with control and adding defensive intensity later, rather than demanding an immediate 90-minute performance.

The attacking configuration will determine the final balance. Chiquinho can drop deeper, but moving him away from the advanced line removes one of Olympiacos’ most effective pressers and connectors around El Kaabi.

Masouras’ absence also matters in that context. Whatever his future, he remains one of the squad’s most disciplined off-ball attackers. His omission removes a winger Mendilibar could normally trust to defend a lead or press an opposing full-back late in the match.

Olympiacos therefore approach NEC with sufficient technical talent but reduced defensive redundancy.

The squad announcement also strengthens the interpretation that the club’s outgoing business is influencing immediate selection. Masouras has not merely been linked with a transfer; he has now been excluded from an important European squad while that process advances.

That still does not equal a completed sale.

For the match itself, Mendilibar’s central challenge is avoiding a disconnected game. Olympiacos can press aggressively, but only if the midfield and defensive line advance together. NEC’s ability to circulate through three defenders can punish pressure that arrives in separate waves.