Olympiacos Register Only 1 Striker In UCL 3rd Round Qualifier Against NEC Nijmegen | OneFootball

Olympiacos’ UEFA list has clarified the attacking hierarchy more decisively than any public transfer briefing.

Ayoub El Kaabi will enter the Champions League tie against NEC Nijmegen as the club’s only established centre-forward. Mehdi Taremi and Roman Yaremchuk have both been left out, despite being senior internationals with substantial European experience.

The omissions should not be treated as routine selection decisions.

A club preparing for a two-leg European qualifier would normally protect itself with at least two natural strikers.

Olympiacos have instead chosen to carry five forwards and wide attackers, but only one conventional No. 9.

That suggests José Luis Mendilibar and the club’s recruitment department have aligned around two conclusions: El Kaabi remains unquestionably first choice, and Taremi and Yaremchuk are no longer considered essential enough to shape European registration around them.

El Kaabi’s status is now absolute

El Kaabi has long been the leading striker, but the list turns sporting preference into structural dependence.

Olympiacos’ attack is built around his capacity to:

Mendilibar trusts him because his movement gives the rest of the team clarity. The wingers know when to cross, the attacking midfielder knows which spaces will open and the defenders know the first line of pressure will be initiated with intensity.

The risk is that Olympiacos now have no comparable replacement.

The alternatives are tactical improvisations

Should El Kaabi become unavailable, Olympiacos would need to manufacture a solution from players whose natural roles begin elsewhere.

Jota Silva can play centrally, but he is more naturally a wide attacker who attacks space rather than a striker accustomed to occupying centre-backs for an entire match.

Masouras offers movement, defensive effort and penalty-area timing, but not the same ability to play with his back to goal.

Gelson Martins provides acceleration and one-versus-one threat, yet moving him centrally would reduce his most dangerous qualities.

Róka offers another attacking option, although expecting him to replace El Kaabi in a Champions League qualifier would represent a major increase in responsibility.

Olympiacos therefore retain attacking flexibility but not positional redundancy.

What the omissions say about Taremi

Taremi’s absence is particularly notable because of his versatility.

He can play behind a striker, combine between the lines and provide more creative involvement than El Kaabi. In another context, that profile could have made him useful as a second-half tactical alternative.

Leaving him out implies that the club no longer considers that optionality more valuable than preserving a squad place for another player.

The decision also supports recent indications that Olympiacos are open to his departure. It does not prove that an acceptable offer exists, but it weakens the argument that he remains central to the immediate plan.

Once a senior player is excluded from the most important matches of the opening month, the practical pathway toward an exit becomes easier for both sides to accept.

Yaremchuk faces the same conclusion from a different position

Yaremchuk is a more conventional alternative to El Kaabi.

His size, penalty-area presence and ability to play directly would have allowed Olympiacos to preserve the same general attacking structure if the Moroccan needed rest or replacement.

That makes his exclusion tactically revealing, even if we already expected his departure this summer.

Olympiacos are willing to sacrifice a like-for-like backup, suggesting either that his departure is considered likely or that Mendilibar has decided the squad place is better used elsewhere regardless of what happens in the market.

The Ukrainian’s future has been uncertain for some time, but the UEFA decision represents a concrete reduction in his competitive role.

A calculated registration gamble

UEFA squad restrictions force clubs to make uncomfortable decisions, particularly when several new signings, foreign-player limits and injury concerns overlap.

Olympiacos’ full list includes three goalkeepers, ten defenders, seven midfielders and five forwards or wingers. The attacking shortage is therefore not accidental; it is the consequence of prioritizing depth in other areas.

Mendilibar may believe the tie can be managed through:

That plan is defensible over two matches. It becomes vulnerable if anything unexpected occurs.

Transfer strategy has overtaken squad insurance

The list suggests Olympiacos are no longer planning around the possibility that all three senior strikers remain.

Maintaining Taremi and Yaremchuk while registering neither would create an awkward sporting and financial situation. Both would occupy salary and foreign-player capacity without access to the club’s first European objective.

Their omission therefore creates momentum toward outbound negotiations.

Olympiacos may aim to move one or both and later recruit a younger, cheaper or more stylistically compatible deputy for El Kaabi. Alternatively, one could remain for domestic competition while waiting for a future UEFA registration window, although that appears less likely to satisfy the player.

The club have not announced either player’s departure. The list nevertheless makes their position considerably clearer.

NEC now know exactly where to apply pressure

From NEC’s perspective, the strategic instruction is obvious: make El Kaabi’s work physically demanding.

Their centre-backs can challenge him aggressively, force him into repeated duels and attempt to prevent Olympiacos from finding him cleanly in transition.

They will also understand that any booking, knock or fatigue affecting El Kaabi carries greater significance than usual.

Olympiacos must therefore protect their striker without reducing his intensity. That may involve controlling possession for longer periods, avoiding unnecessary direct duels and using Jota Silva or Masouras to share pressing responsibilities.