No away-day blues for Olympiacos

The fact Olympiacos CFP finally ended their away-day hoodoo in the group stage to help seal a first passage to the last 16 since 1998/99 has given the Greek club hope they can continue their resurgent European form against Chelsea FC. "After our first away victory in the competition we won't be wary of our return match at Stamford Bridge," said coach Panagiotis Lemonis.

Form crucial
The 3-1 success at Werder Bremen in early October was the Red and Whites' first away win in 32 matches in the tournament. With the monkey off their back, Olympiacos quickly added the scalp of S.S. Lazio in Rome en route to finishing second in Group C. Chelsea present a stiffer challenge in the first knockout round, but not an insurmountable one. "In two months' time, it is the form of the teams that will be crucial for the outcome of the tie," Lemonis said.

'Great talent'
"At this stage of the competition there are no easy opponents. Chelsea have great individual talent but they focus more on working as a team," continued the 47-year-old. "They're very experienced at this level and I don't think Avram Grant's inexperience in the UEFA Champions League will matter. I'm happy because my players are keen to impress through hard work and collective effort. Our goal is to create a squad that will be consistent for the next three to four years. We don't need to do any serious recruiting in the transfer window."

Awful record
History does not favour Olympiacos, however, as their seven previous visits to England have brought just as many defeats, with only one goal scored and 24 conceded. In addition, Chelsea have an impressive record in UEFA Champions League home game, having lost one of their last 24 matches. Midfielder Ieroklis Stoltidis said the tie is "60-40" in Chelsea's favour, adding: "The most important thing is the kind of shape we're in when the games come around."

Grant confident
Chelsea may have limited know-how against Greek opposition yet they know all about longevity in the UEFA Champions League, having reached the semi-finals in three of the last four campaigns. Grant spoke confidently throughout their successful Group B challenge about his side possessing the armoury to finally go all the way this term – and the Olympiacos draw will not have altered his thinking.