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Played
December 4, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki — Pireás (Piraeus)
Referee: Alberto Undiano
Attendance: 28128
December 4, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki — Pireás (Piraeus)
Referee: Alberto Undiano
Attendance: 28128
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| Olympiakos | 1.83 | 1.06 | 1.95 | 0.00 | 1.01 | 1.75 | 1.01 | 1.10 | 1.77 |
| Draw | 3.60 | 10.00 | 3.60 | 0.00 | 26.00 | 3.80 | 13.00 | 7.30 | 3.94 |
| Arsenal | 4.00 | 56.00 | 3.75 | 0.00 | 501.00 | 4.00 | 100.00 | 55.00 | 4.20 |
Olympiakos - Arsenal Preview: Gunners could become first English side to beat Greek champions since 2002
Arsene Wenger's side have secured progression already but must produce a better result than Schalke against Montpellier in order to take first place in the group
By Ryan Benson
Djebbour (Getty)
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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OLYMPIAKOS
 Carroll Torosidis, Modesto, Maniatis, Holebas Machado, Fuster, Abdoun Ibagaza Mitroglu, Djebbour |
ARSENAL
 Szczesny Jenkinson, Djourou, Vermaelen, Santos Coquelin, Rosicky, Ramsey Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Arshavin |
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could make wholesale changes for the trip to Olympiakos with qualification already secured, despite insisting in recent weeks that he would take a full squad to fight for first place.
Andre Santos (abdomen) remains a doubt but still could feature at left-back, while both Abou Diaby (thigh) and Lukasz Fabianski (shoulder) are definitely out.
Francis Coquelin looks set to start for the Gunners in midfield and he could be alongside Tomas Rosicky on his injury comeback, with Johan Djourou also likely to get game time in defence.
Olympiakos boss Leonardo Jardim has effectively no injury concerns coming into the match, although it is essentially a dead rubber for the Greeks too, with Europa League football already confirmed.
Avraam Papadopoulous (knee) is set to miss action for the foreseeable future and is the only player definitely missing out, although a couple of those involved in the 2-1 win over Platanias are touch-and-go.
Kostas Mitroglu and Giannis Maniatis both picked up slight knocks before being substituted but it is expected that they will both be available for selection.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
The home side has always won this fixture, Arsenal winning three and Olympiakos picking up three victories.
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Jardim's team have scored 42.9 per cent of their goals in the final 15 minutes of matches.
Bet365 offer 10/3 for this game to feature over 2.5 goals in the second half.
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Olivier Giroud (pictured right) has twice as many assists (four) as Olympiakos' most prolific creator.
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The only English side to beat the Greek outfit at home in the Champions League since 2000 are Manchester United, winning in 2001 and 2002.
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Olympiakos have lost only three of their last 17 home matches in the Champions League.
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Arsenal have managed just six away wins from their previous 17 trips in Europe's elite competition.
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Before this season, goalkeeper Roy Carroll had not played a Champions League match since leaving Manchester United in 2005.
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The Gunners are currently on 10 points and need to get a better result than Schalke against Montpellier if they are to finish top. Olympiakos will finish third regardless of the result on Tuesday.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Olympiakos Piraeus 1-2 Arsenal
- 15.5 %
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Olympiakos Piraeus 1-3 Arsenal
- 15.19 %
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Olympiakos Piraeus 0-2 Arsenal
- 10.95 %
| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Dec 4, 2012 | Olympiakos Piraeus 2 - Arsenal 1 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Oct 3, 2012 | Arsenal 3 - Olympiakos Piraeus 1 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Dec 6, 2011 | Olympiakos Piraeus 3 - Arsenal 1 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Sep 28, 2011 | Arsenal 2 - Olympiakos Piraeus 1 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Dec 9, 2009 | Olympiakos Piraeus 1 - Arsenal 0 |
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Olympiakos Piraeus
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| Apr 21, 2013 | Olympiakos Piraeus 2 - Panionios 1 | GRE1 |
| Apr 14, 2013 | Olympiakos Piraeus 1 - Panathinaikos 1 | GRE1 |
| Apr 7, 2013 | AO Platanias 0 - Olympiakos Piraeus 4 | GRE1 |
| Mar 31, 2013 | Olympiakos Piraeus 0 - PAOK 0 | GRE1 |
| Mar 17, 2013 | Kerkyra 0 - Olympiakos Piraeus 1 | GRE1 |
Arsenal
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| May 19, 2013 | Newcastle 0 - Arsenal 1 | EPL |
| May 14, 2013 | Arsenal 4 - Wigan Athletic 1 | EPL |
| May 4, 2013 | QPR 0 - Arsenal 1 | EPL |
| Apr 28, 2013 | Arsenal 1 - Man Utd. 1 | EPL |
| Apr 20, 2013 | Fulham 0 - Arsenal 1 | EPL |
| Returns: | Olympiakos £19.50 |
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Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets | |
| Returns: | Draw £260.00 |
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Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 | |
| Returns: | Arsenal £5010.00 |
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Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
| 1 | Roy Carroll | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Giannis Maniatis | Defender |
| - | P. Contreras | Defender |
| - | Konstantinos Manolas | Defender |
| - | Vasilis Torosidis | Defender |
| 10 | Paulo Machado | Midfielder |
| 8 | Ljubomir Fejsa | Midfielder |
| 23 | Drissa Diakité | Midfielder |
| 27 | Leandro Greco | Midfielder |
| 93 | Djamel Abdoun | Midfielder |
| 10 | Rafik Zoheir Djebbour | Striker |
| 42 | Balasz Megyeri | Goalkeeper |
| 23 | Dimitris Siovas | Midfielder |
| 7 | Ariel Miguel Ibagaza | Midfielder |
| 18 | Giannis Fetfatzidis | Midfielder |
| 19 | David Fuster | Midfielder |
| 9 | Marko Pantelic | Striker |
| 22 | Konstantinos Mitroglou | Striker |
| 13 | Wojciech Szczesny | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Thomas Vermaelen | Defender |
| 18 | Sébastien Squillaci | Defender |
| 25 | Carl Jenkinson | Defender |
| 7 | Tomas Rosicky | Midfielder |
| 16 | Aaron Ramsey | Midfielder |
| 35 | Francis Coquelin | Midfielder |
| 48 | Jernade Meade | Midfielder |
| 15 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Striker |
| 27 | Gervinho | Striker |
| 29 | Marouane Chamakh | Striker |
| 55 | James Shea | Goalkeeper |
| 57 | Martin Angha | Defender |
| 43 | Sead Hajrovic | Defender |
| - | Elton Monteiro | Defender |
| 23 | Andrey Arshavin | Midfielder |
| 35 | Zak Ansah | Striker |
| - | Chuba Akpom | Striker |
| Rafik Zoheir Djebbour | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 10 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jardim has already confirmed that his side are not planning on letting Arsenal in for an easy evening, and with nine goals in as many league matches, Rafik Djebbour will be the danger man.
Supported by Mitroglu, Djebbour will be far from isolated against the Gunners, and with the Greeks at home they will pushing forward, potentially giving the 28-year-old forward plenty to show what he is made of in front of goal.
Supported by Mitroglu, Djebbour will be far from isolated against the Gunners, and with the Greeks at home they will pushing forward, potentially giving the 28-year-old forward plenty to show what he is made of in front of goal.
| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 15 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The England international would have been forgiven for thinking he may play a more important role for the Gunners this season, but after just three Premier League starts, he has certainly been used sparingly.
However, a Champions League tie where several players are likely to be rested, the 19-year-old has the perfect opportunity to prove why he deserves more time on the pitch as the hectic Christmas period fast approaches.
However, a Champions League tie where several players are likely to be rested, the 19-year-old has the perfect opportunity to prove why he deserves more time on the pitch as the hectic Christmas period fast approaches.
History suggests the away side generally struggles in this fixture, and with there being not a great deal to play for, it would not be a huge surprise to see Wenger rest key men, therefore giving the hosts the upper-hand.
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
12 | 0 |
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Robert Lewandowski Striker Dortmund |
10 | 1 |
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Thomas Müller Striker Bayern |
8 | 1 |
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Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
8 | 0 |
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Burak Yılmaz Striker Galatasaray |
8 | 0 |
