The Crystal Ball: Manchester City v Olympiakos
By Taylor Smith
PREDICTED MANCHESTER CITY STARTING XI: Ederson (GK); Walker, Ake, Dias, Zinchenko; Rodri, Gundogan, Foden; Sterling, Torres, Bernardo. Formation 4-3-3
It should prove a little too soon for the recovering Gabriel Jesus, so look for Torres to start up top alongside Sterling and Silva, as he did against Marseille.
With the specter of Liverpool looming at the weekend in the English Premier League, Pep will hope for an all-business-no-fuss performance and one that doesn’t add any players to the injury list. Some matches are simpler than others, even if, as Pep suggested, every game in the UCL is a difficult one.
This should be one of those for the Cityzens given the vast financial and talent gulfs between the two sides. The blue side of Manchester are highly adept at breaking down stodgy defenses, and finding dangerous areas to exploit. Olympiakos really have no choice but to play in City’s hands.
PREDICTED OLYMPIAKOS STARTING XI: Sa (GK); Rafinha, Semedo, Cisse, Vinagre; M’Vila, Bouchalakis; Randjelovic, Valbuena, Masouras; El Arabi Formation: 4-2-3-1
After losing 2-0 to Porto last time out in the Champions League, the Greek side will be desperate to stay in the race for second place in the group.
Pedro Martins will know they have a tough task ahead of them, but his charges recovered well at the weekend to win over Apollon Smyrnis in the Greek Super League. If results go their way, Olympiakos could be within a striking position with the group stages halfway over.
A draw would be a fantastic result considering the quality of the opposition. In other news, Martins has a trio of COVID-19 cases to contend with, as Mady Camara, Ousseynou Ba, and Hillal Soudani returned with positive tests, making them unavailable for selection.