Scottish giants Rangers head to Greece to take on Olympiacos in the Europa League on Thursday, and we’ve got the latest in terms of team news and confirmed lineups, as well as a score prediction alongside our preview.
Olympiacos vs Rangers Preview
With just goal difference separating them in 12th and 13th in the table, Rangers head to Piraeus to take on reigning Conference League champions Olympiacos on MD4 of the Europa League on Thursday evening.
The ‘Gers have won two of their opening three league phase matches, with victories over Malmo and FCSB sandwiching a 4-1 defeat to Lyon, and they come into this one off the back of a 2-1 comeback victory against Motherwell on Sunday.
That win, which sent them through to the Scottish League Cup final, followed a 2-1 defeat to unlikely Scottish Premiership title challengers Aberdeen, who are second in the table – level on points with leaders Celtic. Rangers, meanwhile, are down in third place, nine points adrift of the pair.
✈️ Next Up: Olympiacos (A) #UEL pic.twitter.com/qUhHqCPHj3
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) November 6, 2024
As for Olympiacos, they have also won two and lost one in the league phase thus far, overcoming Braga and Malmo on MD2 and MD3, while their defeat also came at the hands of Ligue 1 side Lyon.
Domestically, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side have been inconsistent, currently occupying fourth place in the Greek Super League table. They lost 1-0 to Asteras towards the end of last month, but have bounced back with two successive victories over Kallithea and Panserraikos in the Greek Cup and in the league.
Thursday’s meeting will be the first time that Olympiacos and Rangers have met in competitive action, however they did face off in a pre-season friendly back in 2023, with the Greek outfit securing a 3-1 win in that one.
Olympiacos Team News
The hosts are without several first-team stars amid an unfortunate injury crisis, with all of Theofanis Bakoulas, Marko Stamenic, Yusuf Yazici, Francisco Ortega and Andreas Ndoj reportedly ruled out.
Also unavailable is former Chelsea, Arsenal and Fulham winger Willian, who is out of action until at least the new year.
Rangers Team News
As for the visitors, they are likely to be without attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence. The Welshman suffered an injury in the League Cup win over Motherwell and didn’t train on Wednesday.
Brazilian striker Danilo and Romanian midfielder Ianis Hagi will also have no involvement in the fixture, but this is due to the pair being omitted from the Gers’ Europa League squad alongside Rabbi Matondo.
Ridvan Yilmaz has returned to training, so there’s a chance that he could be named in the squad while Oscar Cortes remains sidelined.
Olympiacos vs Rangers Confirmed Lineups
Olympiacos Lineup:
Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, Carmo, Costinha; Hezze, Mouzakitis; Martins, Chiquinho, Apostolopoulos; El Kaabi
Rangers Lineup:
Butland; Sterling, Souttar, Propper, Jefte; Barron, Raskin; Cerny, Diomande, Bajrami; Dessers
Olympiacos vs Rangers Prediction
The UK’s best football betting sites are favouring Olympiacos to come out on top in this one, and we agree, as we’re backing the hosts to secure all three points thanks to a narrow victory.
While the reigning Conference League winners have been somewhat inconsistent domestically, one thing that has remained consistent is that they are unbeaten at home this term.
We believe that this strong record at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium will carry them through the tie against a Rangers side that has underwhelmed so far in 2024/25.
Prediction: Olympiacos 1-0 Rangers
