Bailey doubtful, Fortounis out
Olympiacos are sweating on Bailey for Sparta Prague at the Karaiskakis on Thursday, 22 October (1). He is doubtful. Kostas Fortounis is out, and he is expected to miss 7–10 days (2). The good news on Fortounis: he seems to have avoided the worst of it (2).
One more wrinkle. Roka, the scorer, is not on the European list, so he cannot play in the Europa League (1).
Five straight wins, second in the table
Your team has not dropped anything in a while. Olympiacos beat Panetolikos 2–0 away on Sunday, 18 October, their fifth win in a row. That run includes the 1–0 derby win over Panathinaikos on 11 October and a 1–0 win at Marseille in the Europa League on 15 October.
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They sit second on 16 points from 7 games, +5 goal difference.
Tsanakas: the mood has changed
Giorgos Tsanakas gave the read on the squad ahead of Sparta. "Olympiacos still has a road ahead of it, but the psychology is changing," he said (2). He also laid out the plan for Sparta Prague (2).
What Sparta Prague bring
The first read on the Czech side is in. Sparta have been assessed on their league form and their Europa League run, and Olympiacos know what to expect from them at the Karaiskakis on Thursday (7).
Rodinei: I cried a lot, the door stays open
Rodinei left Olympiacos in September and is now at Santos with Neymar (3). He is not hiding how it felt. "We cried a lot when I left Olympiacos," he said. "Nobody can take that club out of my heart" (3) (4).
He has left the door open to a return (5). He also gave an assist for Santos (4).
Next up
Sparta Prague at home in the Europa League on Thursday, 22 October, 21:00 CEST. Then Kalamata at home in the Super League on Sunday, 25 October, 15:00 CET, and away at Kifisia on Saturday, 31 October, 18:00 CET.
