Olympiacos vs Arsenal Prediction & Betting Tips - Europa League

Prediction published on 17/02/2020, 07:23  by James | Modified on 17/02/2020 at 08:23 in Europa League Predictions

Back to winning ways in the Premier League, Arsenal are in Europa League action on Thursday when they travel to Greece to take on Olympiakos in their round of 32 first leg match. The Gunners turned on the style in the second half of the Sunday game with Newcastle to sweep the Magpies aside in a 4-0 win. The victory ended a run of four successive Premier League draws for Arsenal. It's a great way to prepare for an important European fixture but it was not comparable to the vociferous crowd that awaits them in Piraeus. Arsenal fans know that taking on Olympiakos away can be treacherous, they have had to play this fixture many times in recent years. Although the last visit saw a relatively easy 3-0 win for Arsenal, the previous two trips were defeats. Coming into the Europa League thanks to the third-place Champions League safety net, Olympiakos have only lost once at home in all competitions this season. That defeat was suffered against a brilliant Bayern Munich side. (Tottenham visited and could only earn a 2-2 draw.)

It's a tough trip for the best of teams and Arsenal are a long way from being in that class. Their away record this season is appalling with four wins from 18 matches on the road in all competitions. The Gunners struggle on their travels and may not have the resolve to escape this match without conceding a deficit. The midseason appointment of Mikel Arteta appears to have strengthened their mentality with one defeat in the ten games since he was appointed. However, only four wins during that time suggest that they have a problem with finishing; Sunday's four-goal win being the first time Arteta's Arsenal have scored more than two in a game would support this. Olympiakos will not be as generous as Newcastle. Back the home side in a draw no bet wager.