Real Madrid head into Wednesday night’s Champions League clash with a mix of hope and tension, chasing a bit of history that has somehow escaped them for decades.
The Spanish giants have never beaten Olympiacos away from home in this competition, which honestly adds a strange kind of pressure to a team already dealing with shaky form.
Real Madrid posted photos of their players preparing for the game via their official X account.
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Softfootball understands that Real Madrid had to fight back twice to earn a draw against Elche last weekend, not exactly the confidence boost they needed. And to make things a little worse for them, injuries just keep coming. With Thibaut Courtois ruled out again ahead of this massive trip, which really doesn’t help Alonso’s defensive problems right now.
Olympiacos have had quite a different ride. They’re down in 31st place in the Champions League table with only two points.
Madrid sit seventh in the Champions League overall standings with nine points from their first four games. They started things pretty well, beating Marseille, Kairat Almaty and Juventus. But that momentum kind of fizzled after losing 1-0 to Liverpool.
Olympiacos have never lost at home to Real Madrid. Three draws, one win, and the last home victory came way back in 2005. So, clearly, this isn’t usually an easy trip for the Spanish giants.
Team News
Olympiacos will miss Alexandros Paschalakis and Konstantinos Angelakis with injuries, but otherwise they seem in good shape. Dani Garcia is one yellow away from suspension but still expected to start because of his experience in La Liga. Ayoub El Kaabi should lead the attack again. Daniel Podence is also likely to start out wide.
Real Madrid’s list of problems is longer. Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, and Franco Mastantuono are completely out, while Rüdiger, Tchouameni, and Alaba need to be checked before kickoff. Alonso is expected to rotate, bringing back Vinicius Jr, Valverde, and Camavinga into the XI. There’s also talk of a 4-3-1-2 setup, with Jude Bellingham just behind Mbappe and Vinicius, which sounds dangerous if it actually clicks. Trent Alexander-Arnold may also keep his starting spot.
Possible Lineups
Olympiacos
Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia, Mouzakitis; Martins, Chiquinho, Podence; El Kaabi
Real Madrid
Lunin; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Camavinga, Guler; Bellingham; Mbappe, Vinicius
Softfootball’s Prediction
This match honestly feels like it could tilt either way, and we nearly predicted a draw because Olympiacos have been surprisingly solid lately. But Madrid haven’t won in a while, and they’re due one. Softfootball expects the Spanish giants to squeeze out a narrow and pretty historic victory on Wednesday night.
Olympiacos 2–3 Real Madrid
