Olympiacos is the biggest game of the season so far - And here's what Arsenal need to do to win in Greece

Mikel Arteta

What Mikel Arteta needs to do for Arsenal to defeat Olympiacos in the Europa League 

By Adam Le Roux

Here we go again then. Arsenal are back in Europe and back in Athens, where they’ll be taking on familiar foes Olympiacos on Thursday.

It sees a return to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang dispatched the late winner against Benfica to fire the Gunners into the last 16, and Mikel Arteta will have his team primed for more of the same this time around.

The Greek side will go into the fixture full of beans, having knocked Arsenal out in the knockout stages last season, with Gooners not needing reminding of Yousef El Arabi’s late strike at the Emirates to send the visitors through.

But this is a new year and a new challenge, so what can we expect when the two teams tussle in Athens this week, and after the 1-1 draw with Burnley at the weekend, who will Arteta pick to start this one?

Eyes on Europe, not Spurs

As timing goes, this one couldn’t have been worse. With the North London Derby against Tottenham coming up on Sunday Arteta would have loved the chance to keep his team fresh ahead of the weekend, but such is the nature of this season, the games are still coming thick and fast.

It would be easy to take the eyes off the prize on Thursday night and put all the energy into the clash with Jose Mourinho’s side at the Emirates, but it would be foolish of Arteta not to put out anything but his strongest starting XI in Greece.

Wins breed confidence, and confidence can create momentum, so it is imperative that Arsenal go in all guns blazing against Olympiacos, because a resounding victory in Greece will compensate for the tired legs over the weekend – and could even make the return leg in a week’s time a lot easier too.

Mikel Arteta

With European qualification via the Premier League looking more and more forlorn, the best hope looks to be winning this year’s competition, meaning all the eggs have to be firmly thrown into the continental basket this week.

Arsenal will be looking for a reaction after the fiasco at Turf Moor on Saturday - where Granit Xhaka’s inexplicable decision to try and pass the ball round Chris Wood in his own six yard box resulted in the Kiwi striker diverting the ball in for the equaliser - and with the pressure on it will be crucial that the big players step up to the plate.

After grabbing the opener against the Clarets on Saturday, as well as a brace in the Gunners’ last European outing, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is looking back to his best in front of goal recently and has been a menacing presence for opposing defenders.

The Gabonese striker netted what he thought was the winning goal the last time these two sides met in February 2020, as he struck with seven minutes of extra time remaining, only for El Arabi to grab a goal of his own right at the death.

We’ve all seen that he can produce the goods when the going gets tough, and since the turn of the year he has stepped his game back up to the 25 goal a season striker we know he is.

With Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all feeding off each other in Greece there will be plenty of players capable of creating the chances needed to secure that vital away goal, but Arsenal just need someone to take one to make the difference.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

We saw this profligacy come back to haunt them against Burnley once again last weekend, with Saka among those to miss a gilt-edged chance before the hosts got back into the game, and a number of chances missed late on in the search to steal all three points.

This can’t happen again on Thursday night, because chances will be at a premium against Olympiacos, and a miscued shot could be the difference-maker in Arsenal’s season, and on the next campaign as well.

Cut out the costly mistakes

Xhaka’s misdemeanour at Turf Moor wasn’t the first time that Arsenal have shot themselves in the foot this season, but Arteta is definitely hoping it will be the last.

Time and time again we have seen the Gunners give their opponents a helping hand, whether it be through dreadful defending or woeful finishing, and even the odd reckless red card thrown in the mix for good measure.

This isn’t the time for any of that, though – everybody need their game faces on and be ready for action, because any slight weaknesses are going to be exploited by the hosts.

Granit Xhaka

But despite being caught out trying to play out from the back for the umpteenth time this season on Saturday, the boss is determined to keep playing that way.

Arteta said: “It’s very difficult because [there are] a lot of unexpected situations in a football match, but then emotionally we have to be much more calm and much more secure.

“We have to manage the games much better in certain situations and that comes with maturity and that comes from learning, so the next time you do that hopefully you learn and it doesn’t happen again to the same player, but then something happens to a different one.

“The positive thing is that I think it’s in our control and it’s not something that the opponents are doing, and we can’t control it.

“So I think it’s easier to fix but we have to fix it very quickly because if not, the margins are so small and you’re close to losing points all the time.”

This week is make or break

It feels like there have been a number of times that we have said that Arsenal’s season rests on the results of the following week, but none more so than what the next seven days are going to throw up.

A positive result in Athens this Thursday could be the catalyst for the remainder of the season, with the Gunners believing they can venture even further into Europe, and take that confidence into Sunday’s encounter with Spurs.

Spurs

Tottenham have a tough test of their own against Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday night, so both sides will be in the same situation over the weekend, where three precious Premier League points will be up for grabs.

Arsenal are still holding onto the coattails of a top seven finish this year, but realistically it is nothing more than local pride that is on stake at the Emirates this weekend, which is a season-defining feeling of its own.

Defeat in Europe and to Spurs is almost unthinkable, and the 2020/21 season might as well come to a close next Thursday evening if that happens, with the whole campaign being left as a write-off.

Photo Credit: Getty Images



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