Leverkusen need a lift

Major test 
The tie represents a major test of Klaus Toppmöller's side, who have so far failed to recover from the blow of losing out on three trophies last May - the 1. Bundesliga, German Cup and UEFA Champions League. Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by Hannover 96 left them 13th in the table, with five points from five games.

On the slide
Despite being finalists in Glasgow, they have won just four of the last 12 Champions League matches, recording five losses and three draws. Worryingly, there is little recent evidence to suggest they can change those negative statistics against the Greek team.

Missing you
Toppmöller is still struggling to cope with the departures of Michael Ballack and Brazilian Zé Roberto. The arrivals of defender Juan, midfield players Daniel Bierofka and Jan Šimák, and striker França have failed to lift the squad accordingly. To make matters worse, the 'No vacancies' sign is up on the Leverkusen treatment room door.

Growing list of injuries 
No fewer than seven key players missed the journey to Piraeus. Diego Placente and Dimitar Berbatov withdrew from the squad before the Hannover game with muscle strains. Captain Jens Nowotny is not due back from a cruciate ligament injury till the New Year, while Thomas Brdaric, Juan, Ulf Kirsten, Christoph Preuss and and Zoltán Sebescen are also sidelined.

Respect due
Despite Leverkusen's poor start, Olympiakos coach Takis Lemonis refuses to write them off. "They may not have had a dream start, but let's not forget that they were playing in the Champions League final in May. There have been changes at the club since last year, but this is not a team in crisis. Let's not get carried away by the talk of injuries and loss of form."

Karembeu back 
Lemonis is not without injury worries of his own. Striker Lampros Choutos suffered knee ligament damage in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Iraklis FC and is out for three weeks. Goalkeeper Dimitris Eleftheropoulos took a knock to his leg in the same game but should recover to play. On a positive note, Christian Karembeu returns from a one-month lay-off and could join Zé Elias and Giovanni in midfield.

Room for improvement 
Third in the Hellenic National League, Olympiakos will have taken heart from an impressive display against Iraklis. Yet as well as Leverkusen, they are also up against the weight of history: they have lost all four previous meetings with German opponents. Both teams then have room for improvement in Athens on Wednesday night.