Madrid wary of optimistic Olympiacos

Smarting from a Primera División defeat and with several players injured, Real Madrid CF will have their work cut out on Wednesday when they welcome an Olympiacos CFP side on a high following their first away victory in the UEFA Champions League.

Bouncing back
With both teams locked on four points in Group C, the stakes are high for the first instalment of their double-header – Olympiacos having proved their credentials in the 3-1 win at Werder Bremen on Matchday 2 after a home draw with S.S. Lazio. In contrast, Bernd Schuster witnessed his first league loss as Madrid coach on Saturday, 2-1 at RCD Espanyol. "We had to lose one day, one way or another," Schuster said. "We aren't permitted the luxury of feeling too sorry for ourselves because we don't have time. I've forgotten about Espanyol now because another team is coming."

Injury worries
Madrid will be without Fabio Cannavaro and Mahamadou Diarra because of knee injuries. Gabriel Heinze and Arjen Robben are both out with thigh problems suffered on international duty and long-term absentee Pepe will also be missing as Schuster assesses his options. "The team will have to be changed but I'm not worried," the coach said. "I've no doubt that [midfielder] Fernando Gago is going to help us in many ways. I don't like being without players but we will field a team that's perfectly capable of beating Olympiacos. I have full confidence in the team I will put out."

Hard to read
Olympiacos may have ended a 31-game wait for a UEFA Champions League away victory three weeks ago, but their eleven trips to Spain have yielded two draws and nine defeats. Schuster said: "It's difficult to know which face they will show us because the side that played against Lazio was different from that which played against Bremen. It's important that we respect their team. We know they will try to make it difficult for us. We know Olympiacos are more often than not favourites to win in the Greek league. They've added Luciano Galletti, Darko Kovačević and Raúl Bravo so it will be a difficult game."

Confidence
While that trio are available, Olympiacos coach Panagiotis Lemonis is deprived of Didier Domi, Kyriakos Papadopoulos and Michalis Konstantinou as the visitors seek to emulate their success in Germany. Their absence has not dented his optimism. "Things have come on a lot for us," Lemonis said. "We were delighted to win our first UEFA Champions League game outside Greece, which lifted a lot of pressure off us. We now realise that we can win no matter where we play and this is an important factor in our dressing room."

'No fear'
Such confidence will pull them through despite Madrid's formidable reputation. "There is no fear," the coach added. "Respect is something different, the respect we have to have for our opponents. Our attitude is that after each game we want to feel satisfied with our performance and with work well done. The collective feeling we have right now is that we want to go on to that pitch and fight for everything."