West Ham and Olympiacos have made strong starts to the season in their respective leagues, and it seems there is a lot to expect in this fixture as the return legs of the Europa League games begin.
David Moyes, who led West Ham to European success in the Conference League last season, led his side to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in their season opener before defeating Chelsea 3-1 at the London Stadium. Lucas Paqueta, Michail Antonio, and defender Nayef Aguerd were the goal scorers in that big win. On top of those initial displays, the Hammers were excellent and dogged in the following game against Brighton, winning 3-1 against all odds. Just before the international break, they defeated Luton Town 2-1. Bowen and Kurt Zouma were the goalscorers in the latest victory, while Ward-Prowse grabbed another assist via the set piece.
After the international break, West Ham suffered their first defeat of the season, and it came at home when defending champions Manchester City came to the London Stadium. However, Moyes’ men led at half-time through Ward-Prowse’s goal before a resurgent performance from the champions after the break to defeat the Hammers 3-1. In their Europa League opener, West Ham welcomed Backa Topola to the London Stadium. After going behind early in the second half, they scored three times in the space of minutes to keep their unbeaten run in Europe since the start of last season. A 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield followed two consecutive wins across two competitions - 1-0 over Lincoln in the Carabao Cup and 2-0 over Sheffield United in the Premier League.
Olympiacos have made a great start to the new Greek Super League season. They finished third behind Panathinaikos and AEK last season, and they have already signaled their intentions to challenge for the title this campaign. The Thrýlos, in their first six games of the season, won five of those games while sharing the spoils with AEK in one of the biggest games of the season yet. Moroccan forward Ayoub El Kaabi is Olympiacos’ star upfront, as he has provided five goals in that number of games.
The Greek side’s journey to the Europa League group stages was not all smooth and easy. They defeated Racing Genk 2-1 on aggregate in the first round but with plenty of drama - Konstantinos Fortounis’ first-minute goal was the difference in the first leg. At the same time, the reverse fixture, which had a player sent off on either team, ended in a draw after Sotiris Alexandropoulos stepped up to net a stoppage-time equalizer. In the final round, it was a bit easy for the Greek giants as they faced inexperienced Serbian side Cukaricki, and they breezed past them 6-1 on aggregate to book their place.
West Ham is not notably a European powerhouse, and the same can be said of Olympiacos. It is just that the Hammers have a European trophy to show for their efforts, while the Greek side are yet to taste any success like that. Still, they have been regular participants in different European competitions.
The last time West Ham hosted Olympiacos, they won 4-0. Meanwhile, Olympiacos have won two of their past three Europa League games when they travel to England, which makes them a potential party spoiler.
Match tickets
This epic match at the London Stadium in London kicks off on Thursday, 9th November, at 9 PM UK time, and it will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage starting from around 8 PM.
This is a massive Europa League clash between West Ham - recent European champion and Olympiacos - a team trying to make an impression on the European stage. Thursday night will be special in London for Olympiacos and their fans as they make it to the 60,000-capacity venue for this top-group match.
Getting West Ham United vs Olympiacos tickets should not be a problem, considering the opposition coming to the ground. Anyways, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Line-ups
West Ham have made some considerable progress this season compared to how they did last campaign. Moyes has been using the cup competitions to rotate his goalkeepers from time immemorial, and it is Fabianski’s time this season. Summer signing Kudus has been making his mark alongside the in-form Ward-Prowse and could be handed a start here. Meanwhile, Aaron Cresswell, who has been nursing a thigh problem for a while, is the only player missing from the squad.
West Ham United: Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Benrahma; Bowen, Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Antonio.
Olympiacos do have several players missing for this trip to London. However, they should still be able to compete against their fresh opponents. El Kaabi, who got both goals in the group opener, should continue to lead the line. He will be supported in attack by the likes of Riel and Fortounis. Meanwhile, Fadiga, Doron Leidner, and Omar Richards are long-term absentees.
Olympiacos: Paschalakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Freire, Ortega; Hezze, Camara; Masouras, Biel, Fortounis; El Kaabi.
Prediction
West Ham has hosted this Greek side before, and it ended in a comfortable win for David Moyes’ side, and the Hammers will be keen to make it 2/2. West Ham have been solid in the European competitions over the past two seasons, and they look like a side that could go all the way in this season’s Europa League.
Only the season opener at Bournemouth has ended in a draw involving West Ham. All other games have produced a win for the London side or their opponents. After two defeats in three games, Moyes’ side has managed to turn it around and claim consecutive wins, keeping clean sheets, too.
As of the time of writing, Ayoub El Kaabi has scored six goals in his last four games since the international break, while West Ham Midfielder James Ward-Prowse has also directly contributed to a goal in each of his last seven club appearances (G3, A7).
West Ham United 2-1 Olympiacos
