Apollon Limassol and Olympiakos face off at the Tsirion Athletiko Kentro in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying playoff roumd matchup on Thursday.
The hosts, who head into the contest fresh off the back of securing the Cyprus Super Cup title, will seek to continue in the same spirit and place a foot in the group stages of the competition.
Apollon Limassol kicked off their 2022-23 domestic campaign to a flyer as they claimed a 2-0 victory over Ominia Nicosia in the Cyprus Super Cup final last Friday.
In a contest where Andreas Panagiotou Filiotis received his marching orders, goals from Bagaliy Dabo and Va either side of the interval saw Apollon secure their first piece of silverware of the season.
David Catala’s side were previously dumped out of the Champions League qualifiers despite a 2-0 second-leg victory over Maccabi Haifa on August 9, as they were beaten 4-2 on aggregate by the Israeli side.
Catala’s side, who are seeking a third consecutive win for the first time since February, will now take their first step towards securing a spot in the group stages of the Europa League.
On the other hand, Olympiakos narrowly progressed through the Europa League third qualifying round, as they needed penalties to see off Slovan Bratislava.
After playing out a 1-1 draw in Greece, they travelled to the Teheine Pole Stadium for their second-leg tie last Thursday, where they held on for a 2-2 draw before securing a 4-3 victory in a nervy penalty shootout.
Carlos Corberan’s side will fancy their chances of securing an early advantage this Thursday as they head into the contest unbeaten in their last six competitive matches away from home, picking up four wins and two draws since 1-0 defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos back in April.
Apollon Limassol vs Olympiakos head to head
The two teams have previously met on just one occasion in a friendly game back in 2011, where they played out a 1-1 draw. They now meet for the first time in a competitive match in the first leg of their Europa League qualifying playoff-round tie.
Apollon 1-1 Olympiakos 12/05/11
Apollon Limassol latest home form
Apollon Limassol have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having won each of their two most recent matches. They defeated Omonia Nicosia 2-0 in their last home game in the Super Cup. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded five.
Apollon 0-2 Pafos 16/04/22
Apollon 3-2 APOEL 08/05/22
Apollon 0-1 AEK Larnaca 22/05/22
Apollon 2-0 Maccabi Haifa 09/08/22
Apollon 2-0 Omonia Nicosia 12/08/22
Apollon Limassol latest away form
Apollon Limassol have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their five most recent matches. They lost 4-0 to Maccabi Haifa in their last away game in the Champions League. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded 10.
Aris Limassol 1-4 Apollon 15/05/22
Doxa 1-0 Apollon 10/07/22
Mezokovesd-Zsory 3-3 Apollon 17/07/22
Torino 1-0 Apollon 27/07/22
Maccabi Haifa 4-0 Apollon 03/08/22
Olympiakos latest home form
Olympiakos have recently been on a relatively good run of form at home, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They drew 1-1 with Slovan Bratislava in their last home game in the Europa League. In their last five matches, they have scored three goals and conceded six.
Olympiakos 1-1 PAOK 14/05/22
Olympiakos 0-0 Cracovia 27/06/22
Olympiakos 1-0 AZ 09/07/22
Olympiakos 0-4 Maccabi Haifa 27/07/22
Olympiakos 1-1 Slovan Bratislava 04/08/22
Olympiakos latest away form
Olympiakos have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just one of their six most recent matches. They defeated Slovan Bratislava through penalties in their last away game in the Europa League. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded 11.
Arminia Bielefeld 3-1 Olympiakos 01/07/22
Salzburg 3-1 Olympiakos 02/07/22
Aris 2-1 Olympiakos 11/07/22
Maccabi Haifa 1-1 Olympiakos 20/07/22
Slovan Bratislava 2-2(P) Olympiakos 11/08/22
Apollon Limassol news
Apollon Limassol will be without midfielder Ilian Iliev, who continues his long journey to full fitness after suffering a matatarsal fracture back in April.
Veteran forward Nicolas Diguiny missed out for the cup victory over Omonia Nicosia last time out and he is a major doubt for the first leg on Thursday.
Olympiakos news
Olympiakos will have to make do without injured Garry Rodrigues, who scored five goals in 19 league appearances last season, with Sime Vrsaljko set to miss his third straight game.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos is a major doubt after the former Arsenal defender missed the second leg against Slovan Bratislava through a muscle issue.
Prediction and Odds
Apollon Limassol will head into the contest with much confidence following their Super Cup victory, as they seek a third straight win across all competitions.
The hosts take on a struggling opposing side who have managed just one win in their last five matches and we back them to secure victory here.
Odds: 1 2.10 X 2.00 2 2.23
Probable outcomes
Apollon 2-0 Olympiakos
Apollon 2-1 Olympiakos
Apollon 3-1 Olympiakos
Apollon 3-2 Olympiakos
Apollon 2-2 Olympiakos
