Bordeaux V Olympiakos: Champions League Betting

Bordeaux V Olympiakos

Wednesday, 17^th March – 19:45 GMT

TV Coverage: Sky Sports 1

First Leg: Olympiakos 0-1 Bordeaux

One of the least attractive last-sixteen ties on paper proved to be just that in the first leg as Bordeaux, the favourites to progress anyway, earned a valuable, and possibly killer, first leg lead with a 1-0 victory in Greece. However, the French champions, who ended a seven year dominance of Lyon with a league winning campaign last season, were somewhat fortunate to leave Greece with any sort of advantage as Olympiakos were hard done by not to have least taken a draw over to France with them, with some controversial decisions from English ref Howard Webb costing the Greek’s severely.

The first leg’s one and only goal came from the head of a defender when Michael Ciani rose highest to head home a Yoann Gourcuff free-kick, of which the set-play was debatable. However, the French side took full advantage of what was a rare opportunity to score in the first half as it was the Greeks who did most of the pressing in the first period, with Bordeaux rarely troubling Nikopolidis, whom was playing his 100^th European game that night, in the Olmypiakos goal. The second half followed a similar pattern with Olympiakos searching for their first goal of the knock-out stage. They should have gotten their equaliser deep into injury time when Matt Derbyshire, formerly of Blackburn Rovers, headed home from three yards out, although he was adjudged to have impeded his defensive marker whilst doing so.

Who will qualify?

The French champions were efficient in the first leg, even if it didn’t win them many fans with their performance. However, their work is nearly done, with all that’s needed now is a professional display back in France. Bordeaux haven’t lost a home fixture in the Champions League this season, which might be one of the reasons why bookmakers have them as short priced favourites to progress, as well as Bordeaux simply being their better side of the two. Olympiakos have their backs against the walls and it reflects in their odds to win this two legged affair, with the Greek’s a best priced 8.00 with Coral to now qualify. Bordeaux, however, can be found at the rather slim and unattractive odds of 1.11 with BetFred.

It was a difficult defeat to take for the Greek outfit as their performance on the night merited at least a share of the spoils. However, the narrow defeat now leaves them chasing the tie, one which looked to have past them by as they face an uphill struggle getting the win they need back in France. Bordeaux have been immensely strong throughout the competition so far but in particular at home, having won all three of their group A encounters including wins over Bayern Munich and Juventus, so it’s hard to envisage a side of Olympiakos’ calibre producing the win necessary to progress.

Bordeaux

Outright Odds: 24/1 WilliamHill

While Bordeaux currently hold all the aces after that narrow 1-0 victory in Greece, manager Laurent Blanc was clearly not taking this second leg lightly as several of his key players were absent from the Bordeaux starting line up over the weekend. It proved to be a poor decision in the end as Bordeaux drew at Monaco 0-0, although luck is on their side at the moment as no-one else around them capitalised on Bordeaux’s slip up meaning the current French champions remain top of Ligue 1 as they prepare to met the Greek champions on Wednesday. 

Bordeaux spent the vast majority of the first leg on the back foot in Greece, but that shouldn’t be the case as they aim to do a role reversal at Stade Chaban Triaud. It’s a venue which has served them well this season, with Bordeaux losing just twice on home soil back in Ligue 1 and not at all in this seasons Champions League, picking up maximum points from their three home group encounters. Even more impressive, however, was that of their two victories over two former European greats in Juventus and Bayern Munich at home earlier in the groups, scoring twice on both occasions.

On the whole Bordeaux have been outstanding at home in all competitions, both this season and the last, even going through the whole of the last campaign without suffering defeat on their home patch. However, a grey area surrounding them was their defeat in their very last appearance at Stade Chaban to Auxerre. That came just before the clubs first meeting with Olympiakos in Greece, with Blanc making several changes in that fixture as well. With Laurent Blanc, a former Manchester United defender, attempting to rotate his squad in an efficient yet ineffective manner, the signs are clear that while Bordeaux’s strongest starting eleven is a match for anyone, their squad isn’t strong enough should one or more key players get injured.

What’s needed from Bordeaux on Wednesday is an efficient display, especially at the back, and you can rest assured that Bordeaux are one of the best in the business at defending. Not only did the French champions finish the group stage of the competition with the best overall record; W:5, D:1, L:0, but their tally of just two goals conceded was the best defensive record out of the 32 teams competing. Moreover, they’ve conceded just one goal at home in the competition thus far, while they’re on a hot streak of six successive wins in the Champions League, whilst their last four have all been to NIL, keeping four successive clean sheets.

Olympiakos

Outright Odds: 500/1 bWin

This mission for Olympiakos looks almost impossible after reading up on Bordeaux’s daunting home statistics but, at the end of the day, all that stands between Olympiakos and the quarter-finals is two goals. However, that’s two HUGE goals if you’re an Olympiakos supporter as the Greek side are not only facing the leanest defence in the competition but also have their dire away run to better of having not scored an away goal in the Champions League this season. 

The omens and statistics are stacked against Olymipakos in a game where they need at least one to take it into extra-time and two to win the tie outright. Even if they were to score twice in France, it’s far from a forgone conclusion that the Greek’s will keep it ship tight at the back, almost impossible in fact. While they’ve kept clean sheets in just under half of their away encounters back in the Greece Super League, they’ve conceded four in three in the Champions League. However, Greek followers can seek inspiration from their last hike, that to Netherlands when they took on AZ Alkmaar. Olympiakos held out for a 0-0 draw on that occasion, with that being their first point of the competition thus far as well as their first away clean sheet. 

There are too many negative points about this Olympiakos team to have us thinking a mini shock could be on the cards. They do well to keep possession, passing it to-and-throe between the midfielders and the defenders until a gap opens up, but they do lack that cutting edge in the forward third of the pitch that can unlock such a water-tight Bordeaux back line. The Greek champions enjoyed the majority of the possession in the first leg but did little with it, yet they’ll have far less of the ball in France and have to do more with it than they’ve done all season in away encounters, and that’s score an away goal.

The Greek side look under nourished to really give Bordeaux a good run for their money on Wednesday, with players were genuine European pedigree absent it would seem. Their only chance of scoring the goals they need to take them through will probably come through set-plays, where the likes of Pavon and Olof Mellberg can stride forward and use their aerial prowess to Olympiakos’ advantage. Even so, despite Nikopolidis best efforts, they’ve hardly been a model of consistency at the back so you’ll be wanting a ruthless display in front of goal as well as a tidy performance from the back – which isn’t going to happen in reality.

Match Verdict: Bordeaux to WIN – 1.57 Bet365 

Bordeaux have been the side to impress me the most this season, even more so when at home having beaten both Juventus and Bayern Munich at Stade Chaban. They are solid and reliable at the back while clinical in the final third – a deadly yet successful ploy for any team. Moreover, the reigning French champions are so consistent that it’s hard to envisage them putting in a poor performance on Wednesday, and that’s just about the only way we can see Olympiakos getting through this terribly difficult looking tie with the aid of a poor display from Bordeaux’s part.

The French side are so difficult to break down, so stubborn and resilient in the centre of the park that a home win, as well as progression into the next round, looks almost assured despite Bordeaux boasting just a one goal lead. Strangers things have happened but Olympiakos lack the fire-power needed to make this any sort of a contest in our honest yet brutal opinion. 

Match Odds:

Bordeaux – 1.57 Bet365

Draw – 3.90 Boylesports

Olympiakos – 7.00 Boylesports