Aris vs Olympiacos Prediction: Are Olympiacos out of the title race?

The derby match of the 19th round in the Greece Super League will be played in Thessaloniki between Aris and Olympiacos. The pressure is bigger on Olympiacos, after several bad results in the league they were knocked out of the cup by their biggest rival Panathinaikos. In this match, they need a win to stay close to the top 3 teams in the league. Aris on the other hand are in a much better position, they are pleased with their performance in the league, and they are in the quarterfinals of the cup after they won on penalties against AEK Athens.

Form: DWDWL

Aris are in 5th place with 30 points, 9 wins, 2 draws, and 6 defeats. At home, they have 7 wins, 2 draws, and a defeat which makes them second best host in the league. They have two important wins in a row in the league, against city rival PAOK and in the last round against Panetolikos. They won in the cup match against AEK Athens which only gave them more confidence. 

Form: DWDLL

Olympiacos are in crisis and after knocking out of the cup their manager Carlos Carvalhal said that he can’t understand what is going on with the team, but that it’s a phase and the team will come back stronger. They won in the last round 3:2 against Kifisia, and now they are in 4th place with 35 points, but in the last 5 matches in all competitions, they have only a win, 2 draws, and 2 defeats. Their central defender Panagiotis Retsos will miss this match due to a red card in the previous round and it might be a problem for Carvalhal to compose the defensive line of the team.

Aris are always a tough opponent for Olympiacos, especially in this stadium. They are in good momentum, and even though they won’t have support from the stands, they are playing comfortably and confidently at home. Last season Aris were better at home with 2:1. Olympiacos must get a positive result in this difficult away match, and I expect an open match with many goals, and both teams to score a goal.