Patsatzoglou pins hopes on English first

As Olympiacos CFP prepare for their biggest European game in nine years, Christos Patsatzoglou believes the Greek champions can continue a campaign which has gone against the grain when they tackle Chelsea FC on Wednesday.

Away curse
After going 31 UEFA Champions League away matchfes without a victory, Olympiacos finally broke their curse at Werder Bremen in this season's group stage and swiftly followed that with another win at S.S. Lazio. Therefore, it is not surprising the 28-year-old feels his side have a decent chance of progressing at Chelsea's expense, despite only recording a goalless draw in their first knockout round first leg in Athens. "We have had a very good year this season – all three of our away games have been against very good teams [including Real Madrid CF] – and we hope to continue that," Patsatzoglou said.

English hoodoo
The Greek international is an integral member of a team who have qualified for the knockout stage for the first time since their 1998/99 quarter-final defeat by Juventus. And with one hoodoo consigned to history, Patsatzoglou would like to end another: Olympiacos's record in England which reads seven visits, seven losses. He said: "Yes, it's true we have had a series of defeats in this country and we need another victory away from Athens. We can do it, but we need concentration and we need to be strong."

Goalscoring options
Despite dominating a fortnight ago at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, the Red and Whites could not break the deadlock – a fact not lost on Patsatzoglou. "We played very well in Athens but could not find a goal," he said. "Now we need to take our chances and try to play our own game." The defender struck the decisive second goal in October's 3-1 triumph in Bremen, but would be happy to see any of his team-mates find the net on Wednesday. "It's not a case of who scores – it is important that at least one of our team score and that we get through," he said.

'More pressure'
However, Patsatzoglou realises that the Premier League high-fliers will be a different proposition at Stamford Bridge, where they are 60 matches unbeaten in all competitions. "I expect Chelsea to be a bit more offensive than in Greece. We need to be patient and wait for our chance," he added. "We have qualified for this stage and there is a little bit more pressure, but that is always good and we will try to use that to our advantage."