Alkmaar fought back, but your team looked sharper
Olympiacos lost their final pre-season friendly, Alkmaar 3–2, but this was not a step backwards (2) (3). Your team led twice. El Kaabi and Jota Silva scored the goals, and Mendilibar's side controlled large stretches before the Dutch hosts turned it around (2). Saliačas started and had to come off with discomfort, which is the real sting from this one (1).
Saliačas adds to the injury list
Manolis Saliačas pulled up during the friendly and left the pitch early (1). The right-back felt discomfort, and with the Champions League qualifier against NEC Nijmegen approaching, his status is now a question mark. Mendilibar already had concerns at the back, and losing another defender right before competitive football starts is not what you want (1).
NEC Nijmegen is the real test
Everything has been building toward this. Olympiacos face NEC Nijmegen in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, with the first leg set for 4 May (2) (3). Mendilibar has warned publicly that NEC finished ahead of Ajax last season, and nobody in the squad should be treating this as a formality. The Alkmaar friendly showed there is rhythm in attack. The question is whether the defense holds up.
