Europa League
2012-03-15 - Olympiacos vs Metalist Kharkiv
A Sports Betting Pick by Addicted
Football : Europe : Europa League
Thursday, March 15th, 2012, 8:05PM GMT
PREVIEW
Olympiacos crashed out of the Champions League after a poor start but not before beating Marseille 1-0 away and Arsenal 3-1 at home. Yes, there might not have been the full effort from their opponents but Olympiacos showed their own fight, which has been evident since they dropped into the Europa League.
Olympiacos have been brutal on defence, and playing a lot better overall. They have begun winning and are currently top of the Greek league and have also booked their semi final place in the Greek Cup. In the Europa League, they travelled and blanked Metalist, something that surprised many, and with good reason.
Metalist have scored 23 goals in just 8 Europa League games this season, but could not find the net against this defence. Instead, it was Olympiacos that scored early in the 2nd half, and held onto that lead to bring home an advantage. Metalist have to score to have a chance, but it will be tough against Olympiacos, who have not lost in 5 European games. After conceding in that 3-1 win over Arsenal they have blanked each of their next 4 opponents, winning 1-0 each time, including Metalist.
What does give me cause for concern is Metalist's record before that 1-0 loss at home. They bashed in 23 goals in just 8 games, and had not lost any of their last 10 Europa League games, winning 7. That includes not losing in any of their last 5 away games in Europe. In 3 of those games they tonked in at least 3 goals.
BETTING VERDICT
This is a tough one, due to Metalist's form in the competition, but I feel Olympiacos have shown enough promise in all competitions recently to suggest they just about edge it at home. Prices are close to even money, and that is good enough for me. Home win.
The Pick :
Olympiacos
