Bayern v Olympiacos facts
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Article summary
Bayern made it five wins from five fixtures against Olympiacos in Greece and can qualify with another success.
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Bayern München extended their Group B advantage to five points with a hard-fought victory at Olympiacos, and will be looking to cement their place in the round of 16 with two matches to spare in the reverse fixture in Germany.
• The five-time European champions were made to work last time out in Piraeus before making it five wins from five against Olympiacos, Robert Lewandowski scoring twice and Corentin Tolisso once after Youssef El Arabi had given the home side the lead; a late Guilherme strike was not enough for Olympiacos to salvage a point as Bayern avoided defeat in a UEFA Champions League away game for a club-record 11th successive time.
• Bayern therefore have nine points, five more than second-placed Tottenham with Crvena zvezda on three and Olympiacos one.The German club have scored 13 goals in their three matches, the most in this season's competition.
Previous meetings
• Bayern have scored 17 goals in their five matches against Olympiacos; they had kept three successive clean sheets before Matchday 3.
• In the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage, Lewandowski, Thomas Müller and Kingsley Coman were all on target in a 4-0 home success in Munich. That followed a 3-0 victory in Greece in which Müller scored twice.
• Bayern's first home game against Olympiacos, in the 1980/81 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round, ended in a 3-0 win, completing a 7-2 aggregate triumph.
Form guide
Bayern
• On Matchday 1 Coman's diving header gave Bayern a first-half lead against Crvena zvezda, further goals from Lewandowski (80) and Müller (90+1) wrapping up a 3-0 win late on.
• Bayern scored seven goals in a UEFA Champions League match for a record fifth time on Matchday 2, Serge Gnabry becoming the 14th player to score four times in a match in the competition in a 7-2 success at Tottenham, and the first to hit four in the second half. It was the 19th time Bayern had scored five or more goals in a UEFA Champions League match, level with Barcelona as a competition record.
• This is Bayern's 23rd UEFA Champions League group campaign, fewer only than Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 24). They have won their section 15 times, although their first-place finish in 2018/19 was their first since 2015/16.
• Twelve months ago Bayern picked up seven points at home, and 14 overall, to finish first in Group E ahead of Ajax, Benfica and AEK Athens. They drew 0-0 at Liverpool in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, but bowed out after going down 3-1 in the home return.
• Champions of Germany for a record 29th time last season – with a landmark seventh successive Bundesliga title – Bayern had reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals or better in seven successive campaigns before losing to Liverpool.
• Bayern have won only three of their last seven UEFA Champions League matches in Munich (D2 L2). In the group stage, however, they have won 15 of their last 16 home matches (D1) and are unbeaten in Munich since a 3-2 home loss against Manchester City on Matchday 6 in December 2013.
• Bayern beat AEK Athens 2-0 away and home in last season's group stage and have never lost to a Greek club (W10 D2). The German side had kept eight successive clean sheets before Matchday 3, and have scored 20 goals in their last six games against Greek opponents.
Olympiacos
• The Piraeus club looked set to start the 2019/20 group stage with a defeat when Spurs established a 2-0 lead in Greece on Matchday 1, but battled back for a 2-2 draw. It was their turn to let an advantage slip in the second round of fixtures, however, Crvena zvezda running out 3-1 winners in Belgrade after Olympiacos had led.
• Second in the 2018/19 Greek Super League behind PAOK, Pedro Martins' side were unbeaten in this season's UEFA Champions League before losing on Matchday 2, having kicked off in the second qualifying round. They beat Viktoria Plzeň (0-0 a, 4-0 h) and İstanbul Başakşehir in the third qualifying round (1-0 a, 2-0 h) before overcoming Krasnodar in the play-offs (4-0 h, 2-1 a) and then drawing with Spurs.
• Defeat by Bayern last time out ended a ten-match unbeaten home European run for Olympiacos (W7 D3), since a 2-0 loss against Juventus on Matchday 6 of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League.
• The point from Matchday 1 equalled the Greek side's six-match total from their last UEFA Champions League group stage campaign in 2017/18, when they finished bottom of a section including Barcelona, Juventus and Sporting CP.
• In 2018/19 Olympiacos went from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round to the round of 32 thanks to a memorable Matchday 6 defeat of AC Milan in Piraeus. They were unable to get past Dynamo Kyiv in the first knockout round, however, going out 3-2 on aggregate (2-2 h, 0-1 a).
• Olympiacos have lost their last six games against Bundesliga sides, home and away, scoring only three goals while conceding 14.
• Olympiacos have lost their last three games in Germany without scoring, most recently that 4-0 defeat at Bayern in 2015. A 3-1 win at Werder Bremen in the 2007/08 UEFA Champions League group stage is the only time they have avoided defeat in seven away matches against Bundesliga clubs – indeed, those are their only goals in those fixtures.
Links and trivia
• Has played in Germany:
Omar Elabdellaoui (Eintracht Braunschweig 2013–14)
• Have played together:
Corentin Tolisso & Mathieu Valbuena (Lyon 2015–17)
Benjamin Pavard & Yassine Benzia (LOSC Lille 2015/16)
• Lewandowski scored in Borussia Dortmund's 3-1 defeat at Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League group stage in December 2011.
• Lewandowski was also on target as Poland drew 1-1 against Greece in the opening match of UEFA EURO 2012.
• Ivan Perišić scored Croatia's third goal in a 4-1 defeat of Greece in the 2018 FIFA World Cup play-offs.
Latest news
Bayern
• Bayern are the top-scoring team in this season's UEFA Champions League with 13 goals in three matches.
• Bayern, who had Jérôme Boateng sent off after nine minutes, were beaten 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, their heaviest defeat since a 4-0 loss at home to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg on 29 April 2014. They last conceded five goals in a match against Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final on 12 May 2012 (2-5).
• On Sunday, Bayern parted company with coach Niko Kovač after 16 months in charge; Hans Flick will take charge of the squad against Olympiacos.
• The Munich club have conceded 16 goals in their first ten Bundesliga games, their highest total since 2008/09.
• Robert Lewandowski got Bayern's goal at Eintracht, his 14th in this season's Bundesliga. He now has 216 league goals for Dortmund and Bayern combined, the fourth highest total of all time and only four behind third-placed Jupp Heynckes.
• Lewandowski, whose goal against Crvena zvezda on Matchday 1 was his 200th competitive strike for Bayern, set a new Bundesliga record in a 2-1 win against Union Berlin on 26 October by scoring in the first nine Bundesliga matches before making it ten at Eintracht.
• The Polish striker has registered 20 goals in 16 competitive Bayern games this season.
• Thomas Müller made his 500th Bayern appearance at Eintracht, going level with Bastian Schweinsteiger in joint ninth place on the club's all-time list.
• On 29 October the holders reached the last 16 of the German Cup with a late 2-1 win at 2. Bundesliga side Bochum. After a first-half own goal from Alphonso Davies, Serge Gnabry and Müller turned the tables in the last ten minutes.
• Javi Martínez was withdrawn at half-time at Olympiacos on Matchday 3 due to muscular problems; he made his return as a second-half substitute on Saturday.
• Lucas Hernández suffered an ankle injury on 22 October at Olympiacos. After surgery two days later the defender will be out for the rest of the year.
• Niklas Süle tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on 19 October in a 2-2 draw in Augsburg and underwent surgery the following day.
• Jann-Fiete Arp underwent surgery on his left wrist on 26 September and has not featured since.
Olympiacos
• Mathieu Valbuena is the oldest player to score in this season's UEFA Champions League; he was aged 34 years 355 days when he converted a penalty against Tottenham on Matchday 1.
• The Matchday 2 loss at Crvena zvezda ended Olympiacos's 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W17 D3). Their previous defeat came on 28 February, when they lost 1-0 at home to Lamia in the Greek Cup quarter-final second leg.
• Olympiacos's record this season is now W11 D5 L2, with 34 goals scored and 12 conceded. Eight of those goals have been conceded in this season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
• The Piraeus club dropped points in this season's Super League for only the second time on Saturday, when they were held 0-0 at Xanthi. Olympiacos also drew on 22 September, in the away derby against Panathinaikos (1-1).
• In the 2-0 home win against AEK Athens on 27 October, Rúben Semedo scored his first Greek Super League goal having already scored three times for Olympiacos in this season's UEFA Champions League.
• Valbuena suffered a right hamstring strain during training on 18 October and returned as a late substitute at Xanthi.
• Yassine Benzia picked up a minor injury in a training match between Olympiacos's seniors and the Under-19 team during October's international break, although he is now back in full training.
• Pape Abou Cissé has not played since 14 September and spent 17 days in hospital with a respiratory infection. He is expected to return to action in late November.
• Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis is expected to be out of action until March 2020 after suffering a knee ligament injury in a pre-season friendly against Hamburg on 10 July.
• Lazaros Christodoulopoulos has been sidelined since 17 February with a cruciate knee ligament injury and has not been included in this season's UEFA Champions League squad. He returned to full training in September and is expected to be back in action in late November.
• José Sá, Rúben Semedo and Daniel Podence have been called up by Portugal for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers against Lithuania and Luxembourg.
• Youssef El Arabi has been included in Morocco's preliminary squad for the upcoming CAF Africa Cup of Nations’ qualifying matches against Mauritania and Burundi. His last international match came on 16 January 2017, against DR Congo (0-1).
• On 23 October, Olympiacos announced that former goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis has been appointed director of the club's youth academy and will also take charge of the club's Under-19 side.
• On 15 October, Olympiacos announced the signing of 19-year old international Cypriot midfielder Giannis Kosti from Nea Salamina, where he will remain on loan for the rest of the season.
• Former player Alejandro Domínguez joined the Olympiacos scouting department on 20 September; he will focus mainly on South America.
• On 17 October Olympiacos announced Daniel Podence has signed a contract extension until 2023.