Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen: German representatives threatened to fall again in Piraeus

JAKARTA - The hot atmosphere of Karaiskakis Stadium will return to the stage of a fierce duel when Olympiacos hosts Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoff, Wednesday night, February 18 or Thursday morning WIB. The two teams have previously faced each other in the league phase this season, with the Greek representative winning 2-0 at the same stadium - a result that will certainly still be a scar for Die Werkself.

The victory over Leverkusen was part of Olympiacos' dramatic revival in the league phase. Having failed to win in the first five games (two draws, three losses), Jose Luis Mendilibar's team bounced back by sweeping the last three games.

The revival began with a narrow 1-0 victory over Kairat Almaty, then closed with a 2-1 win against Ajax on the last matchday. The string of results led Olympiacos to finish in 18th place in the final standings, two points above the relegation zone.

This success marked the first time they qualified for the Champions League knockout stage since the 2013-14 season. In fact, Thrylos now has the opportunity to record four consecutive victories in the main phase of the competition for the first time in the club's history.

Home record is an important capital. Olympiacos won the first leg in six of the last seven European duels at home (one loss). Leverkusen itself has fallen twice in Piraeus in the previous three meetings, including a crushing 6-2 defeat in 2002 in addition to this season's defeat.

However, Olympiacos' recent performance is a bit worrying. They only won one victory in the last four matches in all competitions. A goalless draw against Levadiakos last weekend kept them in second place in the Greek Super League, two points behind AEK Athens. In fact, they failed to score in the last two matches, after previously losing 1-0 to Panathinaikos.

At the visitors' camp, Leverkusen came with positive momentum. A crushing 4-0 win over St Pauli last weekend extended the unbeaten record to six matches in all competitions (five wins, one draw). After opening 2026 with three consecutive defeats - including a loss to Olympiacos in the league phase - Kasper Hjulmand's team is now showing stability.

Leverkusen finished in 16th place in the league phase with 12 points from three wins, three draws, and two losses. They have exceeded the Champions League early phase nine times out of 15 participations. However, the knockout phase has often been a stumbling block, with 10 defeats in the last 12 games in this round.

Their away record in the Champions League is also less convincing. From the last 42 away games, Leverkusen lost 23 times. Although this season they were able to win at home to Manchester City and Benfica, the defeat against Olympiacos in Piraeus shows that this trip is far from easy.

Olympiacos are likely to still be without midfielder Theofanis Bakoulas who has not recovered from a knee injury. Defender Francisco Ortega and striker Mehdi Taremi are doubtful after missing out last weekend. Taremi is also just one card away from suspension, along with Santiago Hezze and Dani Garcia.

Defender Panagiotis Retsos will face his former club after having played for Leverkusen from 2017-2022, which will certainly provide additional motivation.

On the Leverkusen side, Eliesse Ben Seghir is still absent due to an ankle injury. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken has also not recovered from a knee injury so that Janis Blaswich is back as the main choice. Nathan Tella is absent due to a foot injury.

Patrik Schick is predicted to lead the front line after scoring a goal in the victory over St Pauli. Alejandro Grimaldo is also worth watching because he scored in three of Leverkusen's last four Champions League games.

Even though the recent performance of the hosts is not entirely convincing, the public support of Piraeus and the positive record against Leverkusen at home can be a deciding factor. Leverkusen does come with a good trend, but the fragility of the away record in the knockout phase makes Olympiacos worthy of winning a narrow victory in the first leg.

Olympiacos (4-2-3-1): Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Pirola, Onyemaechi; Mouzakitis, Hezze; A. Luiz, Chiquinho, G. Martins; El Kaabi.

Bayer Leverkusen (3-4-2-1): Blaswich; Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba; L. Vasquez, Palacios, Garcia, Grimaldo; Tillman, Poku; Schick.

Olympiacos 2-1 Bayer Leverkusen.