Preview: Olympiacos vs. Eintracht Frankfurt - prediction, team news, lineups

It is a battle of first vs. second on Thursday as the two top teams of Group D compete against each other in the latest Europa League fixture.

Eintracht Frankfurt will travel to Greece to face Olympiacos, with just one point separating them both in the table.

Match preview

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Olympiacos are a team full of confidence at the moment, sitting top of Super League Greece, having not lost a single game in the opening eight fixtures.

The squad secured consecutive 2-1 wins since their last outing in the Europa League, defeating both PAOK and Panetolikos, with four different goalscorers across those fixtures proving their attacking threat.

However, in Group D they have also performed well, winning their opening two matches against Royal Antwerp and Fenerbahce, scoring five goals in the process.

Yet when they faced their opponents on Thursday, their undefeated start to the season was brought to an end as Frankfurt picked up the three points.

Youssef El-Arabi had brought his team back into the game after they fell behind in the first half, but goals from Almamy Toure and Daichi Kamada ended up securing the victory for the German outfit.

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Oliver Glasner's team currently have a one-point advantage over Olympiacos in the table, and a victory on Thursday would guarantee them a place in the knockout stage of the competition.

After being held to a 1-1 draw by Fenerbahce in the opening game of Group D, Frankfurt have since gone on to win two consecutively to reach the top spot.

However, they left things very late against Antwerp, with a 91st-minute penalty from Goncalo Paciencia being the difference-maker for them on that night.

In the Bundesliga, Frankfurt have not been quite as dominant, finding themselves just one place about the relegation zone after winning only one game all season.

With the confidence that they comfortably defeated Olympiacos in their most recent European encounter, the belief will be that they can repeat it.

Team News

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After finding the back of the net in a substitute appearance at the weekend, El-Arabi might have done enough to put himself into the starting XI on Thursday night.

However, after Olympiacos secured yet another victory in that game, Pedro Martins might look to keep things the same and continue the momentum.

For Frankfurt, they shall likely be missing Paciencia on Thursday after he sustained a thigh injury, although it is thought to only be a minor one, which could place him in contention depending on how quickly he responds to treatment.

Kristijan Jakic, Aymen Barkok, and Christopher Lenz are all also unavailable for Glasner, but Sam Lammers could be set to earn a start after only appearing as a substitute at the weekend.

Olympiacos possible starting lineup:
Vaclik; Reabciuk, Ba, Papastathopoulos, Lala; M. Camara, M'Vila; Lopes, A. Camara, Masouras; Tiquinho

Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup:
Trapp; Tuta, Hinteregger, Ndicka; Toure, Sow, Hrustic, Durm; Kamada, Kostic; Lammers

We say: Olympiacos 2-2 Eintracht Frankfurt

Both teams will want to cement themselves at the top of Group D on Thursday, and with Frankfurt having the chance to qualify for the next phase of the competition with a win, there is plenty riding on this match.

However, each club have proven their qualities throughout the season, but it is the hosts who are in stronger form when it comes to league matches, and it could see the two end up battling to a draw.

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