On Thursday night we will find out of the eight teams who will be in the quarter final of the 2020/21 UEFA Europa League. One of the teams will come from the match between Arsenal and Olympiakos and this fixture will take place at the Emirates Stadium, London.
Arsenal come into the match having recorded a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday. It was a great victory for The Gunners, who fell a goal behind against their North London rivals, only to come back strongly with two goals of their own. That result means Arsenal are undefeated in their last 5 games in all competitions.
Victory and three away goals! 💪🔴 1-3 🔵 (FT)🏆 #UEL— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 11, 2021
Victory and three away goals! 💪🔴 1-3 🔵 (FT)🏆 #UEL
Their record in the Europa League this season has been excellent and Arsenal have won 8 of their 9 matches in the competition.
The only time Arsenal failed to win in the Europa League was away at Benfica and that game ended in a 1-1 draw, meaning Mikel Arteta’s team are undefeated in Europe this season.
Trends show Arsenal have managed to win their last 4 home games in the Europa League. They have scored 3 or more goals in each of those 4 matches but have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of the last 3 at the Emirates Stadium.
In fact, Arsenal have been struggling to keep clean sheets at home in the Europa League for some time and have managed only one in 6 of their last 7 games on home soil.
Olympiakos recorded a 3-1 win at Larissa in the Greek Super League on the weekend. That result means they are 16 points clear at the top of the table and should have little trouble winning the title in Greece this season. However, recent form has not been great and Olympiakos have won 4 of their last 9 matches in all competitions.
Their recent form in the Europa League has been poor and Olympiakos have picked up only 2 victories from their last 9 games in the competition. Their away record shows 4 defeats from their last 5 Europa League fixtures on the road but the one victory did come at Arsenal in February 2020.
Trends show Olympiakos have seen over 2.5 goals in 3 of their latest Europa League matches and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 5 away from home.
Looking ahead to the team news and Arsenal could be without attacking midfielder Bukayo Saka, who picked up a hamstring injury on the weekend. Every other player should be available for the hosts.
Olympiakos travel without the injured duo of Avraam Papadopoulos and Rúben Semedo. They also have doubts over the fitness of Marios Vrousai and Ousseynou Ba.
Olympiakos need to overcome the 3-1 deficit from the first leg and that means they must score goals. Arsenal's defensive record at home in the Europa League is not great, so the Greeks may find the back of the net.
However, Arsenal have been scoring plenty of goals at home in the competition and should come out on top with both teams scoring.