Arsenal and Olympiacos face off again

Arsenal FC and Olympiacos FC, two teams who have seen a great deal of each other in recent seasons, meet again on matchday two.

Previous meetings
• The clubs are in the same group for the fourth time in seven seasons, having also been drawn together in 2009/10, 2011/12 and 2012/13. Each of the six preceding games has been won by the home team.

• In 2012/13, the Gunners won 3-1 in London. Gervinho gave the home side the lead just before the interval, with Kostas Mitroglou equalising in added time. Second-half goals from Lukas Podolski and Aaron Ramsey secured the points.

• The lineups in north London on 3 October 2012 were:
Arsenal: Mannone, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Walcott 71), Coquelin, Arteta, Podolski (Ramsey 80), Gervinho (Giroud 80), Santi Cazorla.
Olympiacos: Megyeri, Diakité (Ibagaza 73), Manolas, Contreras, Holebas, David Fuster, Maniatis, Siovas, Greco (Abdoun 67), Paulo Machado (Pantelić 81), Mitroglou.

• Arsène Wenger's men prevailed 2-1 at home in 2011/12, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring on his UEFA Champions League debut, and 2-0 in 2009/10.

Match background

Arsenal
• The Gunners' 18th successive group stage campaign began with a 2-1 defeat at GNK Dinamo Zagreb. Olivier Giroud was sent off six minutes before half-time.

• Last term they reached the last 16 for the 15th successive season but were eliminated at that stage for the fifth consecutive campaign.

• Arsenal beat Galatasaray AŞ and Borussia Dortmund at home and drew with RSC Anderlecht to finish second in Group G with 13 points, the same as Dortmund.

• A 3-1 home defeat by Monaco put Arsenal on the back foot in the round of 16. A 2-0 away win was not enough to retrieve the situation.

• That home reverse means they have lost five and won five of their last 11 home games in the competition proper.

• Arsenal are unbeaten in eight home contests against Greek visitors, winning six and drawing two.

Olympiacos
• The Greek side, in the group stage for the 17th time and fifth in succession, lost 3-0 at home to FC Bayern München on matchday one.

• Last season Olympiacos finished third in Group A, losing all three away games.

• They transferred to the UEFA Europa League and were defeated in the round of 32, losing 2-0 away to FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk ahead of a 2-2 home draw.

• They have lost five away games in a row in the UEFA Champions League and six in succession in all European competition.  

• Olympiacos will be seeking to improve on their poor record in England – they have lost on each of their 12 visits, conceding 37 goals and scoring only three.

Coach and player links
• Joel Campbell was loaned from Arsenal to Olympiacos in 2013/14 and played alongside Giannis Maniatis, Roberto, Dimitris Siovas, Alejandro Domínguez and Leandro Salino.

• Campbell scored in the penalty shoot-out to give Costa Rica a 5-3 victory against Greece after a 1-1 draw in their 2014 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

• Olympiacos players with Premier League experience: Pajtim Kasami (Fulham FC 2011–14), Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester City FC 2014/15), Ideye Brown (West Bromwich Albion FC 2014/15) and Manuel da Costa (West Ham United FC 2009–11).

• As Monaco coach, Arsène Wenger lost in the 1992/93 European Cup Winners' Cup second round to Olympiacos (0-1 home, 0-0 away). 

Match facts

Arsenal
• Giroud is suspended following his dismissal against Dinamo Zagreb.

• Alexis Sánchez scored his first club goals of the season in Saturday's 5-2 win at Leicester City, contributing a hat-trick in his ninth Arsenal game of 2015/16.

• Arsenal followed up their matchday one loss with a 2-0 derby reverse at Chelsea FC on 19 September – their first back-to-back defeats since November 2014.

• Gabriel (45+1) and Santi Cazorla (79) were sent off at Stamford Bridge. The former's red card was subsequently rescinded.

• Mathieu Flamini scored two goals in a match for the first time in his senior career as Arsenal triumphed 2-1 at north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC in the League Cup third round on 23 September.

• The Gunners have only scored in one of their three home games this term – the 2-0 defeat of Stoke City FC on 12 September.

• Jack Wilshere was ruled out for six to eight weeks after sustaining a hairline fracture to his right ankle in training on 1 August.

• Danny Welbeck, who has not played since 26 April because of a knee injury, had an operation on 3 September and is expected to be sidelined until December.

Olympiacos
• Luka Milivojević serves the second of his two-game ban following his dismissal in the second leg of Olympiacos's 2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie against Dnipro.

• Olympiacos are the only team in the Greek Super League with a 100% record, beating PAS Giannina 5-1 in their fifth game on Saturday.

• Da Costa was ruled out of the Arsenal match after sustaining a meniscus injury and calf strain during the 3-1 win at Xanthi FC on 22 September.

• Domínguez has not played since suffering a quadriceps strain against Bayern.

• Maniatis is close to a return to full training, having not played since sustaining ligament damage to his right knee during a Greek Cup encounter with AEK Athens FC on 11 March.