Olympiacos-Real Madrid: Whites out for victory in Athens
The Whites will be looking for their fourth win on matchday five of the Champions League (9 pm CET).
Real Madrid return to the Champions League when they face Olympiacos at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, where they last played 18 years ago (9 pm CET). At the halfway point of this first phase and before the start of matchday five, the Whites sit seventh, level on points with the two teams above them.
This will also be the fourth consecutive away game for Xabi Alonso's side, who still have two more to play, both in the League: on Sunday, they visit Montilivi to face Girona, and three days later, they travel to San Mamés to take on Athletic Club. Real Madrid, who have a record of three wins and one defeat, will be looking to secure their fourth victory in the competition.
“It's an important match for the table and we have to play well,” said Xabi Alonso in the press conference ahead of the clash. Carreras also spoke about how the team will be facing the game in their bid to secure three points this evening in Athens: “We go to every stadium hungry to win and showing character.” The Madrid coach welcomes back Tchouameni to his squad for the clash, but will be without Courtois, Huijsen, Alaba, Rüdiger, Carvajal, Mastantuono and Militão.
Olympiacos
Madrid's opponents come into the match on a high, having gone six games unbeaten: they have won five (four in the league and one in the cup) and drawn their Champions League match against PSV (1-1). They lead their league and are unbeaten at home in the first phase of Europe's top competition, with two draws. Their away record is two defeats. Moroccan striker Ayoub Kaabi, who has played in 16 of the 17 matches this season, is their top scorer with 10 goals: nine in the league and one in the Champions League.