Europa League | League Stage

Jan 23, 2025 at 5.45pm UK

Estadio Do Dragao

Porto vs Olympiacos

Match preview

After winning four consecutive games by a combined score of 11-0, including a 2-0 win over Midtjylland in their last Europa League game, Porto have lost each of their last three domestic matches.

A narrow 1-0 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Taca da Liga semi-finals was followed by shock away defeats to Nacional (2-0) and Gil Vicente (3-1) in the Primeira Liga, the latter coming last Sunday.

Just 24 hours after declaring that he was "part of the solution, not part of the problem", head coach Vitor Bruno was sacked by Porto on Monday after just six months in charge, winning 11 of his 29 matches in all competitions. The 42-year-old leaves the club in third place in the Portuguese top flight, just four points adrift of safety..

Porto academy director Jose Tavares has been appointed as caretaker coach, with his first Europa League match coming against Olympiacos, and the Dragons will be looking to get back to winning ways quickly as they look to qualify for the last 16 of the competition.

Sitting just two points outside the top eight, Porto have won two, drawn two and lost two of their six Europa League games this term, but will be confident of success on home soil, having won five and drawn one of their last six European matches at the Estadio do Dragao.

In contrast to Porto, Olympiacos are on an impressive 16-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W10 D6) and have won each of their last four games in the Greek Super League.

Goals from Panagiotis Retsos and Ayoub El Kaabi secured a 2-1 win for the Thrylos last weekend and they remain four points clear at the top of the standings with seven games remaining in the regular season.

Jose Luis Mendilibar led Olympiacos to the 2023-24 Conference League title after just three months in charge, and the Spaniard has since seen his side take nine points from their opening six Europa League games (W2 D3 L1), drawing each of their last three matches against Rangers, FCSB and FC Twente.

Olympiacos have played out their last two games against FSCB and Twente to goalless stalemates; only Saint-Etienne in 2014-15 have ever drawn three successive matches 0-0 in the competition's history.

The Thrylos, who can automatically qualify for the last 16 if they beat Porto on Thursday, travel to Portugal having won just one of their last nine away games against Portuguese opposition, while they are winless in their last four visits to Porto (D1 L3).

Recent Performance

Porto Europa League form:LDWLDW

Porto form (all competitions):WWWLLL

Olympiacos Europa League form:LWWDDD

Olympiacos form (all competitions):DDWWWW

Team News

Porto will be without Marko Grujic and Wendell as they continue to recover from muscular injuries, while Ivan Marcano (ACL) will be assessed after his long-awaited return to training.

Nico Gonzalez was sent off in the closing stages of Porto's domestic defeat to Gil Vicente last time out, but is available for selection on Thursday and will battle it out with Alan Varela and Stephen Eustaquio for a starting berth in midfield.

Samuel Omorodion was also dropped in that game, but is expected to return in attack. The 20-year-old has scored five Europa League goals this term, and the last Porto player to score more than five in a major European campaign was Moussa Marega in 2018-19 (six).

As for Olympiacos, midfielder Yusuf Yazici is out for the rest of the season with a cruciate ligament injury, while Santiago Hezze is suspended after picking up three yellow cards in the league.

Eighteen-year-old Christos Mouzakitis will replace Hezze and partner either Dani Garcia, Chiquinho, Marko Stamenic or former Porto man Sergio Oliveira in the centre of the park.

Ayoub El Kaabi has scored 17 goals in all competitions this season, at least 12 more than any of his team-mates, and the Moroccan has netted four times in six Europa League games and will once again lead the line.

Possible starting lineup

Porto possible starting lineup:

Costa; Fernandes, Perez, Otavio, Moura; A. Varela, Eustaquio; Pepe, Vieira, Galeno; Omorodion

Olympiacos possible starting lineup:

Tzolakis; Costinha, Restos, Carmo, Ortega; Mouzakitis, Garcia; Rodinei, Chiquinho, Masouras; El Kaabi