Olympiacos Piraeus vs Pafos Prediction 17.09.2025
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Olympiacos Piraeus vs Pafos Prediction
Olympiacos Piraeus vs Pafos Prediction and Betting Tips for Wednesday’s Champions League opener at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The Greeks are back on the biggest stage after a four-year wait, while Pafos step into uncharted territory for the first time. In this article, you’ll also find Champions League Predictions from our XpertStats experts.
- Olympiacos return to the Champions League after four years away.
- Pafos make their debut in Europe’s top competition.
- The Greeks are unbeaten domestically this season, scoring nine without reply.
- Pafos came through qualifiers unbeaten but lost at the weekend in Cyprus.
Olympiacos enter this clash with confidence running high. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men brushed aside Panserraikos 5-0 at the weekend, extending their perfect start in Greece to three wins, nine goals scored, and zero conceded. That’s the kind of dominance fans have been craving. And with their first automatic Champions League qualification in over a decade, the Red-Whites are determined to prove they still belong among Europe’s elite. Can they kick off with a statement win?
The Piraeus club are no strangers to Europe’s pressures. This will be their 36th appearance in the competition, and memories of their 2023 Conference League triumph still linger. The challenge, though, is consistency. Olympiacos have struggled in recent group stage campaigns, winning just two of their last 20 games at this level. Still, with new arrivals like Mehdi Taremi already making an impact, there’s a belief that this time could be different.
Pafos, on the other hand, arrive with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Under Juan Carlos Carcedo, the Cypriots have broken barriers: a first-ever domestic cup in 2024, a league title last season, and now Champions League football. Their road here was dramatic, edging Crvena Zvezda with Jaja’s late heroics, and coming through six unbeaten qualifiers. It’s history already, but could they write an even bigger chapter in Piraeus?
That said, the timing isn’t perfect. Pafos fell 1-0 to Apollon Limassol on Saturday, their first defeat of the season. They’ll need to shake that off fast if they want to compete with Olympiacos in front of a fiery Karaiskakis crowd. Experience and firepower lean heavily toward the Greeks, yet football loves an underdog. Could Pafos spring one of the surprises of the opening week? It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Still, for Champions League Predictions, the safer bet leans towards Olympiacos starting strong at home.
Olympiacos step into this tie as heavy favorites, and it’s not hard to see why. The Greek champions are unbeaten this season, with three wins from three, nine goals scored, and none conceded. Their home ground, the Karaiskakis Stadium, has been a fortress too: nine straight wins in competitive matches. Contrast that with Pafos, who arrive after their first domestic defeat of the season and with no Champions League group stage experience. Olympiacos also boast plenty of firepower. Mehdi Taremi scored twice on his debut, Daniel Podence is in form, and José Luis Mendilibar’s side have the depth to rotate if needed. Pafos are no pushovers, unbeaten in qualifiers and dangerous on the counter, but the gulf in pedigree and home advantage is significant. Olympiacos have also beaten Cypriot sides 19 times in past meetings. All signs point to the hosts taking the three points.
This game has every chance of producing at least two goals. Olympiacos are in red-hot attacking form, scoring nine times in their opening three domestic matches. Their 5-0 thrashing of Panserraikos at the weekend highlighted how dangerous they are going forward, with Mehdi Taremi and Daniel Podence both looking sharp. The Red-Whites also tend to play aggressively at home in Europe, winning five of their last seven matches at Karaiskakis. Pafos, meanwhile, have shown they can score on their travels, finding the net in all three of their away qualifiers. Even if they struggle to win possession, they have players like Orsic and Andersen who can punish mistakes. Olympiacos’ past Champions League campaigns often produced goals, both scored and conceded. With the Greeks likely to dominate and Pafos having nothing to lose, this looks like a fixture where the scoreboard should tick over comfortably past 1.5 goals.
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