Barcelona return to Champions League action at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, aiming to secure their second win in the league phase. Hansi Flick’s side sit 16th after a mixed start, a narrow win over Newcastle United followed by a 2-1 defeat to PSG.
That loss to the European champions was followed by a shocking 4-1 defeat to Sevilla in La Liga, leaving Barca desperate for a response. And just when it looked like another frustrating night against Girona on Saturday, Ronald Araujo stepped up with a 93rd-minute winner to seal all three points and send Barcelona to the top of La Liga, at least temporarily.
Now, focus turns back to Europe. With El Clasico against Real Madrid on the horizon, Flick will want his men sharp but cautious. Olympiacos arrive still searching for their first win of the campaign and have failed to score in either of their Champions League matches so far.The Greek side, led by Jose Luis Mendilibar, earned a goalless draw against Pafos before losing 2-0 to Arsenal in London. They did bounce back with a 2-0 domestic win over AEL Larissa, thanks to Ayoub El Kaabi’s brace, but history and form are firmly against them. Olympiacos have lost 11 straight Champions League group or league-phase matches, and Mendilibar has only one win in 27 meetings with Barcelona.
Barca, on the other hand, have a perfect European home record against Greek sides and last beat Olympiacos 3-1 in 2017. With Flick having also defeated them while managing Bayern Munich, the Blaugrana will be confident of extending that run.
Barcelona vs Olympiacos: Key Stats
📊 Head-to-head: Barcelona 1 win, Olympiacos 0 wins, 1 draw
📊 Barcelona: Won 7 of last 8 home European matches
📊 Barcelona: Scored 2+ goals in 6 of last 7 home games
📊 Olympiacos: Yet to score in UCL this season
📊 Mendilibar vs Barcelona: 1 win in 27 meetings
Predicted Lineups
Barcelona (4-3-3) 🇪🇸 Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martin; De Jong, Garcia, Casado; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford
Olympiacos (4-2-3-1) 🇬🇷 Tzolakis; Costinha, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia, Hezze; Martins, Chiquinho, Podence; El Kaabi
Players and Matchups to Watch
🔹 Frenkie De Jong – The tempo-setter in midfield, key to controlling the game.
🔹 Daniel Podence– Olympiacos’ main threat up front, clinical if given space.
🔹 Ronald Araujo – Barca’s defensive leader and recent match-winner.
Odds Market on MSport
💵 Draw: 7.73
💵 Olympiacos to win: 13.41
💵 Over 2.5 Goals: 1.40
💵 Rashford Anytime Goalscorer: 2.10
💵 El Kaabi Anytime Goalscorer: 5.50
Barcelona are still managing injuries and may rotate before El Clasico, but they should have enough quality to handle Olympiacos at home. Expect Flick’s side to dominate possession, control the tempo, and finally find some rhythm in front of goal. A second Champions League win looks very likely at Montjuic.
