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Olympiacos’ selection problems for Wednesday’s Europa League league-phase opener against Jagiellonia Białystok are now clearer, albeit thinner. Kostas Fortounis will miss the match through suspension, carried over from his red card in the Champions League qualifying return leg against NEC. He joins the injured Ayoub El Kaabi and Gustavo Sá among the confirmed absentees. There are also continuing concerns over Chiquinho and Lorenzo Pirola. Pirola has recently been recovering f

There are preseason results that matter, preseason results that do not, and then there are performances that become interesting because of the pattern developing around them. Olympiacos Women’s 5–0 victory over Nireides Fthias in Lamia belongs in the third category. It was officially only the third friendly of the club’s preparations for the 2026–27 season. Tasos Fleggas continued to experiment with his squad, and September scorelines should never be confused with competitive

MAY 30: Paulinho of Toluca reacts during the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 final match between Toluca and Tigres UANL at Nemesio Diez Stadium on May 30, 2026 in Toluca, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) Olympiacos’ emergency striker search is beginning to separate candidates from realistic targets. Paulinho appears to be the latest example. The Portuguese striker emerged earlier this week as one of the names being evaluated to strengthen the attack following Ayoub El

There was very little ambiguity about the way Olympiacos U19 responded to last weekend’s setback. Three minutes. That was all it took for the champions’ academy side to get ahead against OFI. Venetis delivered the cutback and Kalaitzidis finished first time for 1–0. Nine minutes later, the combination reversed: Kalaitzidis supplied Venetis, who made it 2–0. By that point the game had effectively been tilted decisively toward Olympiacos. The third arrived shortly after halftim

Olympiacos vs OFI, Greek Superleague Matchday 4: Maria Vassilakopoulou/EUROKINISSI There was a moment during Imanol Alguacil’s first match when the outlines of the new Olympiacos could already be seen. The ball stayed on the grass. The centre-backs were encouraged to find midfield rather than bypass it. Remo Freuler sat underneath the possession structure. Gustavo Puerta moved higher. Olympiacos circulated. They tried to combine. They looked different. Four days after José Lu

Federico Gatti of Juventus FC in action against Mauro Icardi of Galatasaray during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Juventus and Galatasaray A.S. at Juventus Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images) Olympiacos' pursuit of Mauro Icardi appears to have moved beyond simple exploratory contact. The latest report from bwinSPORT FM on Saturday morning says the club has put an offer in fron

One of the biggest tactical questions surrounding Imanol Alguacil's arrival was whether Olympiacos were about to swing dramatically away from José Luis Mendilibar's aggressive football toward a slower possession game. The earliest evidence from Rentis suggests something more nuanced. Alguacil's first instructions have reportedly centered on high pressing, fast circulation and relentless intensity. According to bwinSPORT FM's Friday-morning report, the new Olympiacos coach imm

Paulinho of Toluca receives tge Best Player award after winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup 2026 final match between Toluca and Tigres UANL at Nemesio Diez Stadium on May 30, 2026 in Toluca, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images) The most interesting aspect of the Paulinho report is not necessarily Paulinho himself. It is what his name tells us about Olympiacos’ search. Mauro Icardi remains the headline option after formal contacts were reported earlier Thursday. Marius

Mauro Icardi of Galatasaray in action during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between Juventus and Galatasaray A.S. at Juventus Stadium on February 25, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images) Three weeks ago, Mauro Icardi appeared to be a closed file. Olympiacos had tried. Icardi had said no. According to Gianluca Di Marzio’s reporting on August 15, the former Inter, PSG and Galatasaray striker received an offer f

Imanol Alguacil team Manager of AL-Shabab FC during the game of Saudi Pro League between Al Shabab and Al Fayha at SHG Arena on February 1, 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Abdullah Ahmed/Getty Images) The most striking feature of this managerial change remains its speed. José Luis Mendilibar’s departure was formally announced late Wednesday. By Thursday morning, Olympiacos’ succession plan had effectively moved from preparation to execution. The club has now formally

There are managerial changes, and then there are moments that close an era. For Olympiacos, this is unquestionably the latter. José Luis Mendilibar is no longer the manager of Olympiacos. The club officially announced the end of its relationship with the 65-year-old Basque coach on Wednesday night, bringing an extraordinary period in the club's history to an abrupt conclusion. And another Basque coach is already being positioned to succeed him. Imanol Alguacil, the architect

Olympiacos B vs PAOK B, Greek Superleague 2 Matchday 1 - Tasos Simopoulos/EUROKINISSI The result itself will sting. Olympiacos B had survived a relatively balanced and low-event match at Toumba, found the breakthrough through Zouglis in the 73rd minute, and were preparing to leave with three points before the game changed in its final action. Martinis supplied the pass into space and Zouglis finished before PAOK goalkeeper Nikolakoulis could intervene. That sequence is develo

Milan Skriniar of Fenerbahce and Marius Mouandilmadji of Samsunspor battles for the ball during the Turkish Super League match between Fenerbahce and Samsunspor at Ulker Sukru Saracoglu Stadium on March 16, 2025 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images) The important part of the Marius Mouandilmadji story is not simply that another striker has appeared in an Olympiacos transfer column. It is the level of detail attached to the report. Sacha Tavolieri does not me

A 2-0 preseason win will not define Olympiacos’ first campaign, but this match is more informative than the spectacular 10-0 opening friendly. Olympiada provided a more realistic environment for Tasos Fleggas to experiment with combinations, and Olympiacos still managed to score in both halves while keeping a clean sheet. The club explicitly noted that the coaching staff used multiple trials and personnel changes, which makes the result useful primarily as a development check

Olympiacos vs Volos, Greek Cup League Phase Matchday 2: Giorgos Matthaios/EUROKINISSI There are two ways to interpret Olympiacos’ 3-2 win over Volos. The first is encouraging. The second should make José Luis Mendilibar angry. For roughly an hour, Olympiacos got almost exactly what they needed after a difficult week. A new striker stepped forward. A record midfield investment scored on debut. Several rotated players received meaningful competitive minutes. Olympiacos took con

Olympiacos vs Volos, Greek Cup Round 2 - Giorgos Matthaios/EUROKINISSI Gustavo Puerta has spent his first days at Olympiacos as an idea. A transfer fee. A scouting profile. A player whose numbers suggested certain possibilities. Against Volos, the theoretical phase ends. For the first time, José Luis Mendilibar can evaluate his new midfielder inside an actual Olympiacos match. And the most interesting element is not simply that Puerta is playing. It is where and with whom he

This is not a routine executive reshuffle. It is a decision about who controls Olympiacos’ football direction. Darko Kovačević had become deeply embedded in the club’s sporting structure. He had worked as head of scouting, technical adviser and, from February 2024, sporting director. Now he is gone. And Antonio Cordón is coming back. That represents a significant philosophical reset. The timing is impossible to ignore Kovačević’s departure comes during a period in which Olymp

Post Match Press Conference NEC Nijmegen vs Olympiacos, 3rd Round UCL Qualifying 2nd Leg - Klodian Lato/EUROKINISSI José Luis Mendilibar’s accomplishments in Piraeus have given him something most coaches never receive. Credit. A lot of it. Gate 7’s(Olympiacos's Ultras) statement makes clear that those achievements still matter. The supporters explicitly remind Mendilibar that under his leadership Olympiacos reached historic heights and say his name has been written into the c

Considering what happened to Ayoub El Kaabi in the same match, Olympiacos could have feared considerably worse when Lorenzo Pirola asked to come off against Volos. The MRI brings some relief. According to Kostas Nikolakopoulos’ report on bwinSPORT FM, the examination revealed a mild muscle strain. Pirola is expected to sit out the upcoming league match with OFI but has “quite a few chances” of being ready for the Europa League opener against Jagiellonia. Fos subsequently char

When Olympiacos signed Zinedin Smajlović this summer, the attraction was obvious. He was young. He had size. He had already accumulated first-team experience in Scandinavia. And at 22, there was significant room for appreciation in both performance and market value. Only two months later, one of those upside scenarios is already beginning to materialize. Bosnia and Herzegovina have called him into their senior national team. That is important for Smajlović personally. It is a