Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Athens on Wednesday as they lock horns with Olympiacos at the Karaiskakis Stadium. The Lilywhites must win this game if they are to stay one step ahead of Bayern Munich, who will play against Crvena Zvezda.
However, Olympiacos are known for their unpredictability in Europe. And in this article, we will discuss three Olympiacos players Spurs need to keep tabs on, this Wednesday.
Leonardo Koutris
After making his breakthrough at Olympiacos during the 2017/18 campaign, Leonardo Koutris has emerged as a first-team regular for the Greek giants. This season, in particular, the left-back has upped his game to a whole new level, notably registering two assists in three league games.
Recently a regular in the Greek national team, Koutris will look to take advantage of Tottenham’s weak right-flank and provide offensive support in the final third. His aggression and tenacity are sure to cause problems for the likes of Serge Aurier or Kyle Walker-Peters.
But most importantly, Spurs defenders will need to be aware of his dangerous crosses and minimise him any time or space on the ball.
Mathieu Valbuena
With Konstantinos Fortounis sidelined with an unfortunate injury, the onus will be on new signing Mathieu Valbuena to provide the creative essence going forward. The Frenchman arrived at the club earlier this summer, in a free transfer from Fenerbahce. And he has gone off to a flying start as well.
Indeed, Valbuena has already featured in nine matches in all competitions, during which he has notched up three goals and an impressive six assists, five of which came in the Champions League qualifying rounds. He is by far the most experienced member of the current Olympiacos side and Spurs will need to make sure that he gets isolated in the final third.
Youssef El Arabi
Maximiliano Lovera has been the main number nine for Olympiacos so far this season. But it is Youssef El Arabi, who has been the most prolific, netting four goals in six competitive matches.
El Arabi, who arrived from Al Duhail for free this summer, could cause a lot of problems for the Spurs defenders with his intelligent movements. Additionally, he is also known for his physical prowess while his experience could be useful in this fixture.
El Arabi has netted two goals in three matches during the Champions League qualifying stages, but it will be interesting to see how he performs against a quality side.
