The Greek teams have always struggled against those of Israel, with the Olympic to have some of the worst numbers – also being the one with the most… feuds with Israelis.
Nevertheless, the draw with Maccabi Tel Aviv should not cause much disappointment in the club’s ranks, on the one hand due to the presence of the likes of Aston Villa, Fiorentina and Lille among the remaining potential opponents (which were avoided) and on the other hand due to the much improved image presented by the whole Jose Luis Mendiliber.
After all, there is one important difference compared to the other eight matches that Olympiacos has played against Israeli clubs and this has to do with the fact that none of them were knocked out after the group stage.
The “red and white” count 1-3-4 against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Be’er Sheva, with six of the matches being in the summer qualifiers – with a 3/3 shutout record.
And the first meeting with Haifa, the 2002it was in the group stage of the Champions League, with Yakubou Agegbeni’s side continuing as 3rd in the UEFA Cup, leaving Olympiakos in 4th – with AEK later knocking them out with back-to-back wins.
For the first time this year, Piraeus will be called upon to face a club from Israel after the holidays, that is, in an advanced phase of European competition and they are called upon to break the bad streak in order to return to the Euro-eight after 25 years.
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.