As the Champions League 2025/2026 knockout playoffs commence, Olympiakos welcome Bayer Leverkusen to Karaiskakis Stadium for the first leg. This crucial tie sees Olympiakos, who progressed barely to the knockout stage and are on a three-match win streak in the competition, facing Bayer Leverkusen, who are eager to seek revenge after a 2-0 defeat in the league phase about a month ago.
Olympiakos head into this match with mixed recent form, having drawn 0-0 against Levadiakos on 14 February and lost 0-1 to Panathinaikos on 8 February in the Greek Super League, leaving them winless in their last two domestic outings. Bayer Leverkusen, conversely, are in strong shape, coming off a 4-0 victory over St. Pauli on 14 February in the Bundesliga and maintaining an unbeaten record in their last six matches across all competitions, with five wins and one draw.
Key players could sway the outcome, with Olympiakos relying on Gelson Martins, who has netted three goals in the UCL, and Mehdi Taremi, contributing two goals and two assists in Europe, though Taremi is doubtful due to an unspecified issue. Other threats include Ayoub El Kaabi and Daniel Podence for his dribbling prowess, but Olympiakos will be without Theofanis Bakoulas and Konstantinos Angelakis due to injuries, with Francisco Ortega also doubtful. For Bayer Leverkusen, Alejandro Grimaldo stands out with four UCL goals, Aleix García impressing with 133 line-breaking passes, and Patrik Schick in fine form as a striker, though the team will miss Nathan Tella, Eliesse Ben Seghir, and Mark Flekken due to injuries.
Tactically, Olympiakos are set to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation with Panagiotis Retsos as captain, featuring Tzolakis in goal and players like Rodinei and Podence. Bayer Leverkusen prefer a 3-4-2-1 setup led by Andrich as captain, including Grimaldo and Schick. Their head-to-head history in this season shows Olympiakos claiming a 2-0 win in the UCL league phase about a month ago, adding intrigue to this encounter.
Considering Olympiakos' home advantage and recent UCL form, they could be leaning towards a positive result, but Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten streak makes them a formidable challenger. The match is likely to be tightly contested, with a narrow victory for either side seeming probable based on current dynamics.
