Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal team welcome familiar foes Olympiacos to the Emirates in the second week of Champions League football.
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The UEFA Champions League enters its second gameweek and pits Arsenal against Olympiacos at the Emirates on Wednesday. The two teams are not strangers to each other, having played several times over the years in European competitions, with this being the 13th time the two teams have played.
Arsenal beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on matchday one, with goals from substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard securing the three points. Goals from substitutes have become a feature for Arsenal this season, the Gunners demonstrating the strength of their squad after a big summer transfer window.
Olympiacos had a less glamorous start to their UCL campaign, drawing 0-0 with Cypriot debutants Pafos. Whilst that was a disappointment for the start of their campaign in the Champions League, the Greek side are at least doing well domestically, sitting top of Super League 1.
The match at the Emirates will be one that Arsenal and their fans expect to win, but it is a stadium Olympiacos have won at in their last three visits.
Arsenal v Olympiacos key information
• Date: Wednesday, October 1st
• Kick-off time: 20:00 (BST)
• Venue: The Emirates, London
• Referee: François Letexier
• VAR: Sören Storks
• TV channels: TNT Sports (UK)
• Odds: ARS (2/11) - DRAW (6/1) - OLY (16/1)
Arsenal team news
Arsenal will be without Piero Hincapie after the loanee missed training ahead of the Champions League clash on Wednesday. The Ecuadorian has only featured once this season, coming on for a few minutes at the end of the Athletic Bilbao game and has been struggling with a groin issue since.
Kai Havertz remains a long-term absentee, with Noni Madueke joining him on the sidelines for the next couple of weeks as he recovers from a knee injury. Club Captain Martin Odegaard is one player who could start after missing three games with a shoulder injury before returning, and contributing to the victory, at Newcastle.
Many other players who have not seen many minutes over the last few games are expected to play too, such as Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White.
Arsenal predicted line-up v Olympiacos, (4-3-3)
Coach: Mikel Arteta
Arrizabalaga; White, Mosquera, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Zubimendi, Merino, Odegaard; Nwaneri, Gyokeres, Martinelli.
Olympiacos team news
Olympiacos are still expected to be without Lorenzo Scipioni still as the young midfielder has been out for just over a week with a bruised knee, missing two games. Experienced striker Roman Yaremchuk has been out since last season and remains missing with a calf injury.
Two more notable players for Olympiacos, Remy Cabella and Yusuf Yazici, will be missing as they were not included in the Champions League squad for the Greek side, but other familiar names like Daniel Podence and Medhi Taremi are.
Olympiacos predicted line-up v Arsenal, (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Jose Luis Mendilibar
Paschalakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia, Hezze; Strefezza, Chiquinho, Podence; El Kaabi.
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Arsenal’s match against Olympiacos will be streamed live on TNT Sports. To watch TNT Sports, you need to have a subscription to discovery+, and then you can watch all the action on the website, on the app, on your smart TV or through your console.
Head-to-Head record
Arsenal will feel buoyant after a dramatic late 2-1 win away at Newcastle. The win put the Gunners two points behind league leaders Liverpool in the Premier League and keeps the momentum up for the visit of Olympiacos. Having already got three points in a difficult away match in the Champions League, Arsenal will expect to follow up with another three points here.
Olympiacos have not lost yet this season, winning five and drawing two across all competitions, only conceding four goals across those matches too. The team from Piraeus also won dramatically on the weekend, scoring their winner in a 3-2 victory over Levadiakos in the 96th minute.
Arsenal and Olympiacos have played each other 12 times previously, and not once in those 12 occasions has there ever been a draw between the teams. The wins are spread equally six to six, but Olympiacos have won on their last three trips to the Emirates, most recently in 2021 in the Europa League, where they won 1-0 but still went out 3-2 on aggregate.
Odds for Arsenal v Olympiacos
Arsenal are the favourites to win this match at the bookmakers. Arsenal are 2/11 to win at bet365, with an Olympiacos win at 16/1. A draw between the two is at 6/1.
Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change.