Olympiacos vs Pafos Prediction: Suffocating the Newcomer
The match between Olympiacos and Pafos in the Champions League will take place at 11:45 PM on September 17th. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes the form, provides football commentary, and predicts the score.
Latest information on the Olympiacos vs Pafos squad.
Mendilibar are racing against time to secure the services of Gelson Martins, who was sidelined in the previous match, while right-back Rodinei's availability is also uncertain.
With goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis suspended, Alexandros Paschalakis is expected to start, while striker Roman Yaremchuk is still recovering from a muscle injury.
Mehdi Taremi is likely to make his first start after coming off the bench and scoring a brace in last weekend's win, so the former Inter Milan striker could be tasked with leading the attack.
Derrick Luckassen was sent off in the domestic league defeat against Apollon, but the suspension does not apply to European competitions, so the 23-year-old center-back will continue to feature in the defense.
David Goldar is likely to partner Luckassen in defense, although veteran centre-back David Luiz remains another option for the visitors.
Although Jaja scored the winning goal in the qualifying round, Carcedo is unlikely to make many changes to the already stable squad, so the 24-year-old may continue to be kept as a strategic reserve player.
Latest predicted lineups for Olympiacos vs Pafos
Olympiacos:
Paschalakis; Ortega, Biancone, Retsos, Costinha; Nascimento, Garcia; Podence, Chiquinho, Strefezza; Taremi
Pafos FC:
Michael; Langa, Luckassen, Goldar, Pileas; Sunjic, Pepe; Bruno, Dragomir, Orsic; Andersen
Latest football match prediction: Olympiacos vs Pafos
An improved UEFA coefficient has helped Olympiacos secure direct Champions League qualification after winning the Super League in the 2024-25 season, marking their first automatic qualification in over a decade.
The team, which has won the Greek league 48 times, returns to the big stage, marking their 36th appearance in the group stage and further solidifying their position in Europe's top competition.
The absence from the Champions League did not prevent Olympiacos from making history on the continental stage, as they won their first European trophy by defeating Fiorentina in the 2023-24 Conference League final.
Jose Luis Mendilibar's men entered Wednesday night's match with high confidence after scoring five goals against Panserraikos at the Karaiskakis Stadium, thus leading the Super League and extending their perfect start to the 2025-26 season with nine goals scored and none conceded.
The Piraeus team has also won five of their last seven home matches in European competitions (with two draws), so they have reason to believe they can secure all three points in what is considered the easiest match of the group stage.
Olympiacos will face a packed schedule in their eight group stage matches, with away games against Barcelona and Arsenal – two teams that reached the semi-finals last season – while hosting Real Madrid at home will also be a tough match.
The pressure on Pafos isn't immense, as they've already made history by reaching the group stage after just one season in Europe in the Conference League, where they were eliminated in the round of 16.
The past two years under Carcedo have seen a series of important milestones: starting with winning the Cypriot Cup in 2023-24, followed by winning the national league title in 2024-25 – thereby securing qualification for the Champions League.
This ticket was secured in a dramatic fashion, as Pafos overcame Crvena Zvezda thanks to Jaja's 88th-minute equalizer in the second leg in Cyprus, after having already won the first leg in Serbia.
Carcedo's team is unbeaten in all six qualifying matches and can be confident that they have what it takes to spring a surprise against Olympiacos – a team that has failed to win 18 of their last 20 Champions League group stage matches.
However, Pafos need to quickly forget their first defeat of the season, when they lost 0-1 at home to Apollon Limassol in the league on Saturday.
Latest Olympiacos vs Pafos score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Olympiacos vs Pafosas follows:
- Sportsmole:Olympiacos 2-0 Pafos
- WhoScore:Olympiacos 2-1 Pafos
- Our newspaper predicts:Olympiacos 2-0 Pafos
When and where can I watch Olympiacos vs Pafos live?
To watch the Olympiacos vs Pafos match live in the Champions League at 23:45 on September 17th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.