Olympiacos avoid another major injury — but Mendilibar now has a defensive decision before Europe

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 characterized the injury more specifically as a grade-one strain.

That shifts the concern from a potentially significant absence to a short rehabilitation race.

The important game is not OFI

From Olympiacos’ perspective, there should be little incentive to rush Pirola back domestically.

The calendar makes the decision relatively straightforward. OFI is the match he will miss.

The real target is September 16 against Jagiellonia, when Olympiacos begins its Europa League league-phase campaign at Karaiskakis. A mild muscular injury creates a familiar risk-reward equation.

If Pirola reaches the European game physically ready, he becomes an obvious candidate to return. If there is uncertainty, forcing him back several days early could turn a small strain into a more significant absence.

Given Olympiacos’ defensive depth, Mendilibar should have enough alternatives to avoid making that gamble.

Carmo becomes immediately important again

David Carmo replaced Pirola against Volos. That is likely the simplest short-term solution. Mendilibar also has Panagiotis Retsos and the rapidly developing Zinedin Smajlović available, giving Olympiacos multiple combinations without fundamentally altering the structure of the defense.

This is important because Pirola has become valuable not merely as a defender but as part of Olympiacos’ first phase of possession. His comfort receiving under pressure and willingness to advance the ball help the team play through an opponent’s first pressing line. Carmo offers his own excellent progression qualities, while Retsos gives Mendilibar experience and aggression.

So Olympiacos can replace Pirola numerically. The question is how much continuity they lose.

The Smajlović development suddenly becomes even more relevant

There is an interesting coincidence here. Only hours earlier, Smajlović received his first senior Bosnia and Herzegovina call-up. Now an injury ahead of a European game potentially creates another opportunity at club level.

That does not mean Smajlović suddenly jumps directly into the Europa League XI. But this is exactly why Olympiacos invested in additional center-back depth. The coming matches could provide Mendilibar with another useful data point on how close the 22-year-old is to being trusted in higher-leverage situations.

And Olympiacos need to manage cumulative injury risk

The broader concern is not Pirola’s diagnosis in isolation. It is what happened during the Volos match as a whole. Olympiacos lost El Kaabi to a devastating long-term injury and Pirola to a muscular problem during the same evening. One is catastrophic. The other appears minor.

But once competitive matches arrive every few days, small injuries can create cascading rotation problems if players are repeatedly rushed back. With Europe beginning next week, squad management becomes increasingly important. Pirola’s MRI is therefore good news. The best outcome now would be for Olympiacos not to need him until he is genuinely ready.

Fan reaction

The immediate public mood around the MRI result is primarily relief. After Pirola requested a substitution against Volos—and particularly given the severity of El Kaabi’s injury in the same match—the confirmation that the defender has only a mild strain is naturally being received as relatively positive news.

The main recurring concern is the Europa League opener. Supporters are less worried about Pirola missing OFI than about whether he will be fully fit for Jagiellonia.

There is also a sensible dissenting view that Olympiacos should not rush him back simply because the European campaign is starting, especially with Carmo, Retsos and Smajlović providing alternatives.