Arsenal vs Olympiacos Predictions

• Arsenal won five of their seven home Champions League matches last season with clean sheets in all five victories
• Olympiakos have lost their last ten Champions League group stage/league phase matches away from home
• The Gunners have kept eight clean sheets in their last 12 Champions League group stage/league phase matches

Arsenal look to build on superb September

Arsenal should secure a routine league phase win at home to Olympiacos on Wednesday as Mikel Arteta’s side seek to build on their superb September. The Gunners won four and drew one game in a month which could set them on the path to glory this season.

The run of results speak for themselves but Arsenal have had to overcame a spate of early-season injuries to key players too. With Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Martin Odegaard back available, they could be about to embark on a significant winning run.

Scoring late winners has been Liverpool’s forte this season, but Arsenal have proven adept at pinching crucial late goals too as Arteta’s side earned a deserved draw against Manchester City and battled back to beat Newcastle at St James’ Park with goals in or after the 93rd minute.

Olympiakos showed a soft centre

They remain arguably the best set-piece side in Europe and will cause the Greek champions plenty of problems if they show the sort of soft centre they did against Bodo/Glimt in last season’s Europa League knockouts when every corner and cross from the Norwegian side led to panic in the Olympiakos penalty area.

Goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis returns from suspension for this one, but Olympiakos will need him to have a big game if they are to cause a shock in London. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Champions League debutants Pafos last month and look like they might struggle at this level.

Mendilibar was not particularly happy with his side’s defending in their 2-1 Greek Super League win over Levadiakos on Saturday as the visitors caused problems with overloads in the wide areas.

Gyokeres to get a goal

The Spanish coach hauled off Daniel Podense for apparently not tracking back and he will want all of his players to put a proper shift in at the Emirates Stadium. But he may be without one of his top defensive midfielders in Lorenzo Scipioni, who is battling to regain fitness.

Arsenal should be able to exert their dominance in the middle of the pitch and create enough opportunities to secure a comfortable victory. The Gunners have won two of their three games at the Emirates this season to nil and that was a common occurrence in their Champions League home games last season too.

A repeat of their 2-0 win in Bilbao in matchday one could be on the cards, but it could be more emphatic if they get in front early and put the visitors under the pump. Back Victor Gyokeres to get on the scoresheet on Wednesday because although he has yet to really find his feet in the Premier League, he should have too much quality for Olympiakos’ defenders.