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Uefa Cup Preview: FC Nordsjælland - Olympiakos
Who: FC Nordsjælland vs Olympiakos
What: UEFA Cup, First Round
When: Tuesday, 16th September (18:00 CET, Local Time)
Where: Farum Park, Farum, Denmark
| Bet: | Returns: | Rubin £18.00 | Draw £32.50 | Olympiakos £42.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Rubin £18.30 | Draw £32.00 | Olympiakos £38.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Rubin £18.00 | Draw £33.00 | Olympiakos £40.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Rubin £19.10 | Draw £34.00 | Olympiakos £40.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Rubin £18.90 | Draw £32.50 | Olympiakos £38.00 |
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Sep 15, 2008 6:41:52 PM
Failure to qualify for the UEFA Cup group stages is simply unthinkable for an Olympiakos side which has been built for the Champions League. They were stunned, however, by a plucky Cypriot outfit in the form of Anorthosis Famagusta and, whilst participation in Europe’s second domestic club tournament is not as financially lucrative, it will have to do for Greece’s defending champions.
FC Nordsjælland, from the town of Farum in eastern Denmark, had to beat Estonian team FC TVMK Tallinn and second-tier Scottish outfit Queen of the South in the 1st and 2nd rounds of UEFA Cup Qualifying respectively. The Wild Tigers only just scraped past the Scots, though, and will need a miracle if they are to defeat the Greeks over both legs - although similar sentiments were echoed prior to Olympiakos’ UEFA Champions League Qualifier against Temuri Ketsbaia’s team.
Out of Form
Nordsjælland have been struggling domestically and are currently third from bottom of the Danish Superliga after six rounds.
They lost their first two league encounters, admittedly difficult trips away to FC Kobenhavn and Odense Boldklub, but also failed to win any of their next three matches, losing 1-0 at home to newly promoted Sønderjysk Elitesport.
They grabbed their first win of the season at the sixth attempt when they defeated Aarhus Gymnastikforening away from home, with the 3-0 victory coming courtesy of two Nicklas Pedersen goals and one in the final minute from Martin Bernburg.
The men from Farum are coached by former Denmark international and Celtic player Morten Wieghorst, who took over from previous incumbent Johnny Petersen when he left his post in 2006. It remains to be seen whether Wieghorst, who played at the 1998 World Cup, can convert his relative success as a player to something tangible as a manager.
He guided FC Nordsjælland to a 9th place finish in the 12-team Danish Superliga last season and this is his first job as a head-coach after acting as Petersen’s assistant during the 2005-2006 season.
Redemption
Following their embarrassing exit from the UEFA Champions League, Olympiakos manager Ernesto Valverde will want to ensure that a similar scenario does not arise against modest opposition from Denmark.
The former Espanyol manager – who previously guided the Spanish side to a UEFA Cup final appearance against Sevilla – has had anything but a smooth transition into his new role. His squad are struggling to gel and look a shadow of the resolute unit that progressed through a group that included Werder Bremen, Lazio and Real Madrid during last season’s Champions League.
Despite their European catastrophe, however, the Erythrolefki have set about to re-establish themselves domestically, maintaining a perfect start to their Greek Super League campaign with an opening-day win over Asteras Tripolis and a second-round victory away at Xanthi.
Still, it is reasonable to suggest that Valverde will need to deliver more than a Greek title – or indeed, a league and cup double – in order to appease a now frustrated fanbase. The UEFA Cup may prove to be the perfect platform for a Thrylos redemption and the Danes now provide the first obstacle to a potentially crucial season for Olympiakos – and Greek football – in Europe.
The pressure is most certainly on the men from Piraeus.
FORM GUIDE
FC Nordsjælland
10/08/08 FC Nordsjælland 1-1 Randers FC Danish SAS-Ligaen
14/08/08 Queen of the South 1-2 FC Nordsjælland UEFA Cup
17/08/08 FC Nordsjælland 0-1 Sonderjyske Danish SAS-Ligaen
26/08/08 FC Nordsjælland 2-1 Queen of the South UEFA Cup
31/08/08 AGF Aarhus 0-3 FC Nordsjælland Danish SAS-Ligaen
Olympiakos
13/08/08 Anorthosis Famagusta 3-0 Olympiacos UEFA Champions League
27/08/08 Olympiacos 1-0 Anorthosis Famagusta UEFA Champions League
30/08/08 Olympiacos 3-1 Asteras Tripoli Greek Super League
13/08/08 FC Xanthi 0-1 Olympiacos Greek Super League
TEAM NEWS
FC Nordsjælland
Although Morten Wieghorst doesn’t appear to have settled on a definitive starting X1 – with his front-line appearing to have changed most over the course of this season – logic would suggest that he will persevere with a similar starting line-up to that which delivered his Farum-based side their first win of the league campaign at the end of last month.
Two weeks has elapsed since the match against AGF Aarhus but the Nordsjælland manager will likely start with a front-two that includes Denmark U21 international Nicklas Pedersen and 22 year-old Martin Bernburg, who last week made his first appearance for the Danish national team, coming off the bench against Portugal and helping his side to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the final minutes of their World Cup Qualifier.
Olympiakos
Club legend and captain Predrag Djordjevic has been under an injury cloud and is unlikely to feature for the team from Piraeus, whilst out-of-favour Raul Bravo hasn’t played this season and probably won’t play any part in the tie. High profile summer signing Diogo might get his first taste of European action for his new club after failing to register in time to take part in the Champions League Qualifier against Anorthosis.
Valverde’s main concern might be in finding an effective strike partnership, with towering Serb Dark Kovacevic seemingly out-of-form and Greece U21 international Kostantinos Mitroglou his most obvious replacement.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Nordsjælland
After making his international debut as a substitute against Portugal, coming on in the 88th minute and then helping his side to an amazing victory in their World Cup qualifier, Martin Bernburg will be heading into this clash full of confidence. The former Kobenhavn striker has already scored four goals this season, including a crucial double during the UEFA Cup return leg against Queen of the South that secured his side’s passage into the first round.
Olympiakos
Where other players have failed to live up to expectations and hype, Luciano Galletti has begun his second season at the Piraeus club with the same energy that characterised his first. He performed admirably against Anorthosis, winning what should have been a converted penalty with the score at 2-0 in Cyprus and he has inspired his side to two victories in their opening two Greek Super League encounters, with a virtuoso performance that included two goals at home to Asteras Tripolis and also providing a pin-point cross to set-up Diogo for the winner during a tense encounter against Xanthi.
Prediction
Olympiakos have been far from convincing this season, but the chances of an Anorthosis-like disaster are slim to say the least. The Cypriots had sufficient quality and experience across the park to be able to defeat an out-of-form and lethargic Thrylos, but one cannot shake the feeling that Valverde will not allow his players to make the same mistakes against one of the weaker of Denmark’s top-flight club sides. Expect a comfortable win for Olympiakos, both home and away.
Chris Paraskevas
FC Nordsjælland, from the town of Farum in eastern Denmark, had to beat Estonian team FC TVMK Tallinn and second-tier Scottish outfit Queen of the South in the 1st and 2nd rounds of UEFA Cup Qualifying respectively. The Wild Tigers only just scraped past the Scots, though, and will need a miracle if they are to defeat the Greeks over both legs - although similar sentiments were echoed prior to Olympiakos’ UEFA Champions League Qualifier against Temuri Ketsbaia’s team.
Out of Form
Nordsjælland have been struggling domestically and are currently third from bottom of the Danish Superliga after six rounds.
They lost their first two league encounters, admittedly difficult trips away to FC Kobenhavn and Odense Boldklub, but also failed to win any of their next three matches, losing 1-0 at home to newly promoted Sønderjysk Elitesport.
They grabbed their first win of the season at the sixth attempt when they defeated Aarhus Gymnastikforening away from home, with the 3-0 victory coming courtesy of two Nicklas Pedersen goals and one in the final minute from Martin Bernburg.
The men from Farum are coached by former Denmark international and Celtic player Morten Wieghorst, who took over from previous incumbent Johnny Petersen when he left his post in 2006. It remains to be seen whether Wieghorst, who played at the 1998 World Cup, can convert his relative success as a player to something tangible as a manager.
He guided FC Nordsjælland to a 9th place finish in the 12-team Danish Superliga last season and this is his first job as a head-coach after acting as Petersen’s assistant during the 2005-2006 season.
Redemption
Following their embarrassing exit from the UEFA Champions League, Olympiakos manager Ernesto Valverde will want to ensure that a similar scenario does not arise against modest opposition from Denmark.
The former Espanyol manager – who previously guided the Spanish side to a UEFA Cup final appearance against Sevilla – has had anything but a smooth transition into his new role. His squad are struggling to gel and look a shadow of the resolute unit that progressed through a group that included Werder Bremen, Lazio and Real Madrid during last season’s Champions League.
Despite their European catastrophe, however, the Erythrolefki have set about to re-establish themselves domestically, maintaining a perfect start to their Greek Super League campaign with an opening-day win over Asteras Tripolis and a second-round victory away at Xanthi.
Still, it is reasonable to suggest that Valverde will need to deliver more than a Greek title – or indeed, a league and cup double – in order to appease a now frustrated fanbase. The UEFA Cup may prove to be the perfect platform for a Thrylos redemption and the Danes now provide the first obstacle to a potentially crucial season for Olympiakos – and Greek football – in Europe.
The pressure is most certainly on the men from Piraeus.
FORM GUIDE
FC Nordsjælland
10/08/08 FC Nordsjælland 1-1 Randers FC Danish SAS-Ligaen
14/08/08 Queen of the South 1-2 FC Nordsjælland UEFA Cup
17/08/08 FC Nordsjælland 0-1 Sonderjyske Danish SAS-Ligaen
26/08/08 FC Nordsjælland 2-1 Queen of the South UEFA Cup
31/08/08 AGF Aarhus 0-3 FC Nordsjælland Danish SAS-Ligaen
Olympiakos
13/08/08 Anorthosis Famagusta 3-0 Olympiacos UEFA Champions League
27/08/08 Olympiacos 1-0 Anorthosis Famagusta UEFA Champions League
30/08/08 Olympiacos 3-1 Asteras Tripoli Greek Super League
13/08/08 FC Xanthi 0-1 Olympiacos Greek Super League
TEAM NEWS
FC Nordsjælland
Although Morten Wieghorst doesn’t appear to have settled on a definitive starting X1 – with his front-line appearing to have changed most over the course of this season – logic would suggest that he will persevere with a similar starting line-up to that which delivered his Farum-based side their first win of the league campaign at the end of last month.
Two weeks has elapsed since the match against AGF Aarhus but the Nordsjælland manager will likely start with a front-two that includes Denmark U21 international Nicklas Pedersen and 22 year-old Martin Bernburg, who last week made his first appearance for the Danish national team, coming off the bench against Portugal and helping his side to overturn a 2-1 deficit in the final minutes of their World Cup Qualifier.
Olympiakos
Club legend and captain Predrag Djordjevic has been under an injury cloud and is unlikely to feature for the team from Piraeus, whilst out-of-favour Raul Bravo hasn’t played this season and probably won’t play any part in the tie. High profile summer signing Diogo might get his first taste of European action for his new club after failing to register in time to take part in the Champions League Qualifier against Anorthosis.
Valverde’s main concern might be in finding an effective strike partnership, with towering Serb Dark Kovacevic seemingly out-of-form and Greece U21 international Kostantinos Mitroglou his most obvious replacement.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Nordsjælland
After making his international debut as a substitute against Portugal, coming on in the 88th minute and then helping his side to an amazing victory in their World Cup qualifier, Martin Bernburg will be heading into this clash full of confidence. The former Kobenhavn striker has already scored four goals this season, including a crucial double during the UEFA Cup return leg against Queen of the South that secured his side’s passage into the first round.
Olympiakos
Where other players have failed to live up to expectations and hype, Luciano Galletti has begun his second season at the Piraeus club with the same energy that characterised his first. He performed admirably against Anorthosis, winning what should have been a converted penalty with the score at 2-0 in Cyprus and he has inspired his side to two victories in their opening two Greek Super League encounters, with a virtuoso performance that included two goals at home to Asteras Tripolis and also providing a pin-point cross to set-up Diogo for the winner during a tense encounter against Xanthi.
Prediction
Olympiakos have been far from convincing this season, but the chances of an Anorthosis-like disaster are slim to say the least. The Cypriots had sufficient quality and experience across the park to be able to defeat an out-of-form and lethargic Thrylos, but one cannot shake the feeling that Valverde will not allow his players to make the same mistakes against one of the weaker of Denmark’s top-flight club sides. Expect a comfortable win for Olympiakos, both home and away.
Chris Paraskevas
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