West Ham United will be looking to make amends when they welcome Greek side Olympiacos to the London Stadium in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
A fortnight ago, Olympiacos claimed a 2-1 victory over the Hammers, courtesy of first-half goals from Kostas Fortounis and Rodieni.
Defeat in Brentford. pic.twitter.com/KnsRJ3FOOy— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 4, 2023
Defeat in Brentford. pic.twitter.com/KnsRJ3FOOy
Still, David Moyes’ side remain joint-top of Group A alongside German club Freiburg, with Olympiacos trailing the frontrunners by two points.
West Ham claimed an impressive 3-1 victory over Arsenal in the EFL Cup last week, but they were swiftly brought back down to earth on Saturday.
After racing into a 2-1 lead inside 26 minutes against Brentford, the Hammers ended up losing 3-2 last time out, suffering a third successive Premier League defeat.
In the Europa League, West Ham took maximum points from their opening two matches, with a 3-1 victory over Backa Topola preceding a 2-1 win against Freiburg.
However, Moyes’ men suffered a 2-1 defeat to Olympiacos a fortnight ago, meaning they have lost five of their last five games across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos endured a 4-2 thrashing at the hands of POAK last weekend, conceding four goals before scoring two late consolations.
As a result, the perennial Greek champions find themselves four points behind Panathinaikos in the Super League standings, having lost two of their past three games.
Olympiacos also lost their opening Europa League match, suffering a 3-2 defeat against Freiburg, but they have since taken four points from a possible six.
A win would see them leapfrog West Ham in the Group A standings, but a defeat would leave them five points behind the London side.
Head-to-head: West Ham and Olympiacos met for the first time two weeks ago, with the Greek club claiming all three points on that occasion.
It is worth noting that Moyes’ men enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the reverse fixture, but it was the Greeks who made the most of their chances.
Team news: Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez are expected to return for West Ham after missing last weekend’s defeat to Brentford, although Kurt Zouma remains an injury doubt.
On the flip side, Olympiacos have a couple of defensive issues, with centre-back Nicolas Freire and left-back Doron Lediner both sidelined through injury.
Given that West Ham have lost four of their last five matches across all competitions, Olympiacos will back themselves to do the double over the Hammers.
Forebet predicts that Olympiacos will pile more pressure on Moyes and his players, with the visitors expected to claim all three points at the London Stadium.