Match 0507: Olympiakos vs Deportivo La Coruna

PJ_Quek SG

League UE CHAMPIONS
Match OLYMPIAKOS vs DEPORTIVO
Match No. 0507
Sales Close ^ 23/11/04 9:00PM

1X2

Home 1.95
Draw 3.30
Away 3.20

1/2 GOAL

Home OLYMPIAKOS (-1½) 3.50
Away DEPORTIVO (+1½) 1.23

TOTAL GOALS

No. of Goals

0 6.00
1 3.90
2 3.60
3 3.90
4 6.50
5 9.90
6 19.00
7 39.00
8 85.00
9+ 125.00

HALF / FULL TIME DOUBLE

Selection

H-H 3.30
H-D 11.00
H-A 24.00
D-H 5.10
D-D 5.30
D-A 6.50
A-H 22.00
A-D 11.00
A-A 6.70

PJ_Quek SG

Olympiacos seek third home victory

Following their scoreless draw at the Riazor stadium on the opening matchday of this season's UEFA Champions League season, Olympiacos CFP will be hoping to improve on the draw they recorded against RC Deportivo La Coruña when the two sides met in Greece at the same stage of the 2001/02 competition.

Ieroklis Stoltidis and Olympiacos CFP have made home advantage count so far in this season's UEFA Champions League

Stalemate

In September 2001, Deportivo hosted the Greek side at the Riazor stadium on the opening Matchday, but Javier Irureta's could only record a 2-2 stalemate. Fran put Deportivo ahead midway through the first half, but two goals in three second half minutes from Stylianos Giannakopoulos and Peter Oforiquaye looked to have provided Olympiacos with a rare away win in the competition. But Deportivo hit back three minutes into stoppage time with a last-gasp equaliser from Juan Carlos Valerón.

Unbeaten record

Alexios Alexandris gave Olympiacos the lead after 50 minutes, only for Joan Capdevila to equalise six minutes from time to give Deportivo first place. The result left Olympiacos bottom of the group standings while Deportivo advanced through the second group stage to the quarter-finals but succumbed to Manchester United FC, a team they had earlier beaten twice in the first group stage of the competition.

Olympiacos on the verge

But this season Olympiacos top the standings after four matches thanks mainly to two 1-0 victories at home against AS Monaco FC and Liverpool FC, and a repeat scoreline together with a Liverpool win in Monaco would see the Greek side through to the knockout stages for only the second time. For Deportivo, no goals from four outings tells its own story as they languish in last position on two points. But two victories in their final two outings together with two wins for Liverpool could provide them with an improbable qualification.

Recent experience

Olympiacos, competing in their eighth successive Champions League group campaign, also faced Spanish opposition last season in the group stage, losing 1-0 away to Real Sociedad de Fútbol on the opening matchday before drawing 2-2 at home against the same opponents on matchday five en route to fourth position and elimination from the competition. Equally, Deportivo, who are enjoying their fifth successive Champions League group campaign, fended off Greek opponents in the form of AEK Athens FC last term, drawing 1-1 away on the opening Matchday before winning 3-0 four Matchdays later to advance to the knockout phase until their elimination at the semi-final stage to eventual winners, FC Porto.

PJ_Quek SG

Head to Head

2004/2005
European Cup Deportivo La Coruna 0-0 Olympiakos Piraeus 15-09-2004

2001/2002
European Cup Olympiakos Piraeus 1-1 Deportivo La Coruna 31-10-2001
European Cup Deportivo La Coruna 2-2 Olympiakos Piraeus 18-09-2001

PJ_Quek SG

League UE CHAMPIONS
Match OLYMPIAKOS vs DEPORTIVO
Match No. 0507
Sales Close ^ 23/11/04 9:00PM

1X2

Home 1.85
Draw 3.40
Away 3.40

1/2 GOAL

Home OLYMPIAKOS (-1½) 3.60
Away DEPORTIVO (+1½) 1.22

TOTAL GOALS

No. of Goals

0 6.00
1 3.90
2 3.60
3 3.90
4 6.50
5 9.90
6 19.00
7 39.00
8 85.00
9+ 125.00

HALF / FULL TIME DOUBLE

Selection

H-H 3.30
H-D 11.00
H-A 28.00
D-H 4.70
D-D 5.30
D-A 6.50
A-H 27.00
A-D 11.00
A-A 6.80

PJ_Quek SG

CL Preview: Olympiakos-Deportivo La Coruna

Olympiakos host an improving Deportivo La Coruna side Tuesday night in a Matchday 5 Group A Champions League fixture that could send the Greeks through to the next round.

BACKGROUND

Olympiakos will qualify for the final sixteen of the competition should they defeat Javier Iruretas team at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium and if Monaco lose to Liverpool at home. Deportivo meanwhile need to win in Greece and then defeat Monaco on Matchday 6 at home in order to have any hopes of qualifying. They would then need some outside help from other results.

Olympiakos, having already claimed the scalps of Liverpool and Monaco in their home CL matches this season, will be confident of taking all three points from this match. Their new stadium has been quite friendly thus far and the Piraeus based club have yet to lose at Karaiskakis this season. Dusan Bajevics charges warmed up for the clash against Deportivo with a 3-0 home win against OFI Crete on Saturday. The goals came from Olympiakos Brazilian connection, Giovanni (2) and Rivaldo. That win kept the Greeks third in their domestic league on 17 points, two off surprise leaders AEK.

While Olympiakos can be happy with their season to date, the same cannot be said of their Spanish counterparts. Deportivo have struggled this season and not only are they in last place of Group A, but their league form has been very disappointing, the Galicians currently lie in eighth place with 19 points. They have experienced a mini-revival of sorts though in the last two weeks, winning twice in succession against Levante and Villareal. After going winless in their first four CL matches, Deportivo look set to concentrate on their domestic campaign, but without any pressure they face Olympiakos in Greece knowing that an away victory could give them some hope of still advancing.

PJ_Quek SG

TEAM NEWS

Olympiakos - Bajevic faces a selection headache in the run-up to this match. With a number of players returning from injury lay-offs, the Serb and Montenegran coach has no shortage of options. Among the biggest questions will be whether the Cypriot Yiannakis Okkas will play as the teams lone striker. Okkas has played that role for most of the season and has done reasonably well, his pace and movement causing headaches for many opposing defenses. The problem is that he has yet to find his scoring touch which means that Bajevic may opt to play Giovanni in attack with the young Uruguayan Neri Alberto Castillo in support.

A decision must also be made on the left side where three players will be vying for two spots. Grigoris Georgatos and Predrag Djordjevic should get the starting nods though left back Stelios Venetidis is in contention, he being a more defensive option than the attack-minded Georgatos.

Deportivo La Coruna - Injuries have been the story of Deportivos problems all season and last seasons CL semi-finalists will be without the services of the prolific Diego Tristan who tore a thigh muscle in the Villareal match this weekend. The loss of Tristan minimizes Iruretas attacking options, but the club will be bolstered by the return of Walter Pandiani, the teams leading scorer this season in the league (5 goals).

More bad news for the Spanish side is that Sanchez Victor and Jorge Andrade look doubtful for the match in Greece and thus Mauro Silva, recently back from injury, may get the start.

PJ_Quek SG

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Giovanni (Olympiakos): Though the skillful Brazilian has scored more than a few goals since he came to Greece five years ago, he has still been criticized for his lack of production and static nature. The simple fact is that whether you like his playing style or not, Olympiakos have great difficulty scoring goals without him. Can sometimes look disinterested or even lazy, but on his day he is a constant threat with his knack for scoring goals, his deceptive dribbling and creative passing.

Juan Carlos Valeron (Deportivo La Coruna): As Valeron goes, so does Deportivo. The creative force behind the team, Valeron is a talented playmaker who runs the show for the Galicians. If Deportivo are to be successful then Valeron will probably be the difference, not necessarily because of his goal-scoring (though he does score goals), but rather through his passing. Both of Depors goals at the weekend came either directly or indirectly thanks to the Spanish internationals vision.

PJ_Quek SG

POSSIBLE STARTING XIs:

Olympiakos: Nikopolidis, Georgatos, Schurrer, Anatolakis, Pantos, Djordjevic, Stoltidis, Kafes, Rivaldo, Giovanni, Okkas

Deportivo La Coruna: Molina, Capdevila, Cesar, Mauro Silva, Pablo, Romero, Fran, Scaloni, Luque, Munitis, Pandiani

PJ_Quek SG

Preview - Olympiakos vs Deportivo

Deportivo La Coruna striker Diego Tristan has expressed his frustration at the muscle injury which will put him out of action for a month and make his side's chances of progressing in Europe even slimmer.

Tristan tore a muscle in his left thigh after scoring his side's second goal in their 2-0 win over Villarreal on Saturday.

It was his second goal in two games and showed he was on his way back to his best after missing the start of the season with yet another leg injury.

Now that progress has been halted in its tracks and it could hardly have happened at a worse time for Deportivo, who travel to Greece to face Olympiacos on Tuesday desperately needing a win.

``I would like to know why we are picking up so many injuries, because I am the first one to suffer,'' complained Tristan.

``I have to pick myself up and look ahead once again and I hope I will be out for less time than they tell me. The injury is in another area and I want to get back in the side as soon as possible,'' he said.

Tristan's setback has been made worse by the fact that his partner in attack Walter Pandiani has a back problem which will also sideline him for several weeks.

Deportivo have yet to win in Champions League Group A and the 1-0 home defeat against Liverpool a fortnight ago has all but ended their chances of progressing to the last 16 of the competition.

The best Javier Irureta's side can realistically hope for is a third-placed group finish and a place in the UEFA Cup, but in order to do that they need to beat Olympiacos.

And the injuries suffered by both Tristan and Pandiani mean it will be up to Spain international Albert Luque to lead the Deportivo attack.

However, the 26-year-old admits he is not in the best shape himself after being substituted during the win over Villarreal because of a niggling thigh problem.

``I had to ask to be taken off and I also hurt my shoulder, but I have to take a risk and I will play again on Tuesday. I will push myself to be able to play,'' said Luque.

Luque will probably be partnered by Pedro Munitis in attack, while the good news for Irureta could be the return of Mauro Silva to the Deportivo midfield, which would allow Lionel Scaloni to switch to his favourite position out on the right.

Meanwhile, hosts Olympiacos warmed up for the visit of Deportivo with a comfortable 3-0 win over OFI in their domestic campaign on Saturday.

It was their fifth win in eight league matches and should stand Dusan Bajevic's side in good stead as they aim to retain their position at the top of Group A.

Bajevic is expected to bring midfielder Predrag Djordjevic and striker Ioannis Okkas back into the side after the duo were rested for the victory over OFI.