Genk – Olympiacos

Belgian vice-champion to take revenge for away defeat

In one of the most interesting encounters of the third qualifying round of the Europa League, the vice-champion of Belgium and the third team of Greece will meet. The first match last week ended in favour of the favourite of the first match, but the underdog, at that time, of the whole confrontation. Already in the first minute of the game at the Karaiskakis Stadium, where the European Super Cup will be played on Wednesday, the hosts took the lead thanks to Fortounis' successful strike. In general, Olympiacos were more convincing than their opponents in the first half, but in the second half they focused on defending their goal and holding on to a shaky advantage. The Greek club fulfilled the task, but holding on to a minimal advantage is a serious concern ahead of the return leg. In fact, there are doubts and bookmakers, who have identified the home team as the favourite to win the game in Belgium with odds of 1.72 and roughly equal chances of the opponents to reach the playoffs. Genk won the regular Belgian championship last season, but lost the fight for the championship title to Antwerp in the second stage. The second place allowed the team to participate in the Champions League qualification. In the second round, Genk fell to Swiss Servette, with whom they drew twice and lost their ticket to the next stage in a penalty shootout. A particularly frustrating factor for Belgian fans is the fact that Genk failed to beat the Swiss in a home game, playing from the third minute on the power play. The vice-champion started the new season in the national championship with two wins and a defeat shortly before the first meeting with Olympiacos. The Piraeus club has won the Greek championship 47 times in its history. As such, third place at the end of last season is considered an extreme failure at Olympiacos. The three previous championships have consistently brought the Piraeans titles. Interestingly, during the off-season Olympiacos mostly sold players. As for serious reinforcement, the club management has not managed to organise it yet. In addition, Olympiacos has not yet started playing on the national stage, and the lack of game practice may well have a negative impact in the conditions of the away game. We bet that Genk will win the return match.