Olympiakos vs Bordeaux Match Preview
Olympiacos arrive at the Round of 16 by virtue of their 2nd place finish in Group H. Arsenal won that group but actually lost a game to the Greeks. Despite their win over the English giants the Greeks’ group phase record was less than inspiring. Of their six matches they won only three, lost two and had one draw in a group that included Belgian club Standard Liege and Dutch club AZ Alkmaar. Even more worrisome, they scored only four goals in their six group play matches and conceded five. Olympiacos currently sit in 2nd place in the Greek Super League, two points behind rivals Panathaniakos. Although Olympiacos dropped points with a 1-1 draw against ninth place Ergotelis at the weekend, new manager Bozidar Bandovic, who took over the reigns when Zico was fired in January, had guided the club through three consecutive league victories going into the weekend.
Bordeaux sit on top of the French Ligue 1 with 51 points to Montpellier’s 48. But their league form lately has been off, with two wins, two draws and a loss in their most recent five Ligue 1 matches. A 3-1 victory over St. Etienne midweek helped Les Girondins put distance between themselves and their second place followers, and helped salve a little of the sore they suffered earlier in the week when they crashed out of the French Cup. However, Bordeaux have made it to the French league cup final and more importantly, they’ve made it through to the knockout stage of the Champions League. Not considered frequent visitors at this level of competition, Bordeaux nevertheless arrive at the Round of 16 as undefeated winners of Group A, having won five and drawn only one of their six matches. No small accomplishment in a group that included powerhouse clubs Bayern Munich and Juventus. With nine goals for and only two against in their six group-play matches, Bordeaux are clearly a capable side. Manager Lauren Blanc, however, was nevertheless thankful that his club had not been drawn against a bigger name in the Round of 16. Bordeaux were scheduled to play a league match against Auxerre this weekend but the kindly fellows of the French football association postponed that match “in the interest of French football” so that Les Girondins could prepare for Olympiacos. The Greek side will have to be careful of Bordeaux’s scoring threats, the Brazilian Wendel and Moroccan international Marouane Chamakh, who has been linked in the press with a possible move to Arsenal at the end of the season.
