While some clubs play regularly in the Champions League, other teams rarely get the opportunity and FC Krasnodar fall into that category.
The Russian club finished 3rd in the Russian Premier League last season and that handed them a place in the Champions League qualifiers. Can they make the most of it and reach the lucrative group stages for the first time in their history?
Olympiakos on the other hand know what it is like to play in the Champions League group stages. The Greek club have played in the group stages as recently as 2017/18 when they were handed a tough draw of Barcelona, Juventus and Sporting Lisbon.
They will be hoping for something a little easier should they progress through this tie. The domestic season has yet to begin for Olympiakos and they have only played in the Champions League to date. Olympiakos have come up against Viktoria Plzen and Istanbul Basaksehir and remained undefeated in the four games.
They were held to a 0-0 draw in the away leg against Viktoria Plzen but beat the Czech’s comfortably 4-0 at home. In the third qualifying round Olympiakos won 1-0 away from home in the first leg against Istanbul Basaksehir and defeated the Turks 2-0 at home.
Trends show Olympiakos have lost one of their last five games at home in the Champions League, which was against Juventus. They also held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in 2017.
Krasnodar are participating in their first Champions League campaign and have played in just one round of the competition. They started in the third qualifying round and had a very tough draw against Porto. Krasnodar lost the home leg 1-0 and it appeared their Champions League hopes were over almost as soon as they began.
However, an excellent display in Portugal saw Krasnodar open a 3-0 lead in the match before eventually winning 3-2 to progress on the away goals rule.
The Russian league has been up and running for some time and Krasnodar are in 3rd place with 13 points from six games. They have lost two of their eight matches in all competitions this season, one in the Russian Premier League and one in the Champions League. Krasnodar have won three and drawn one of their last four away matches in all competitions.
Не скучайте 🖤💚 Скоро вернемся 🙌🏻#ОлимпиакосКраснодар #ВпередБыки #ЛЧ pic.twitter.com/YQ7qFHoGo3— FCKrasnodar (@FCKrasnodar) August 20, 2019
Не скучайте 🖤💚 Скоро вернемся 🙌🏻#ОлимпиакосКраснодар #ВпередБыки #ЛЧ pic.twitter.com/YQ7qFHoGo3
Looking ahead to the team news and Olympiakos have no major injury or suspension concerns ahead of this game. They are yet to play a domestic league fixture so should be fresh and ready to go.
Krasnodar are without Viktor Claesson who has knee injury and is expected to be out until next year. Yuri Gazinskiy is a doubt due to a shoulder injury.
This should be an exciting game, with both teams capable of scoring goals. Krasnodar showed what they can do away from home in this competition by beating Porto but the hosts have to be the favourites. A home win both teams scoring is a distinct possibility.