Olympiakos’ two-point lead faces Sparta Praha’s away scoring record

A narrow lead, contrasting venue numbers

Olympiakos Piraeus begin this UEFA Europa League league-stage round in provisional 10th place with 6 points from 2 games, two points ahead of 11th-placed Sparta Praha, who have 4 points from 2 games. Olympiakos trail league leader Juventus by 0 points, while Sparta trail by 2.

The strongest contrast comes from the venue-specific records. Olympiakos have won their one home game, scoring 2 goals and conceding 1. Sparta have also won their one away game, but scored 4 goals and conceded 1. Neither side has kept a clean sheet in that sample.

Form and availability shape the question

Olympiakos bring two wins from their two-match recent-form sample. Sparta’s two-match sample contains one win and one draw, with the most recent result listed first. Olympiakos used a 4-2-3-1 in both matches, while Sparta used a 4-3-3 in one and a 4-2-3-1 in one.

Olympiakos list L. Bailey as inactive, while Clayton, M. Mouandilmadji, B. Popovic, J. Roca and L. Scipioni are off the roster. A. El Kaabi has a broken leg and Y. Yazici a knee injury. Sparta list M. Andersen, E. Cobbaut, A. Karabec, O. Penxa, M. Rynes and E. Uchenna as unavailable, with L. Mbe Soh questionable because of health problems.

At kickoff, can Olympiakos’s home defence handle a Sparta side that scored 4 goals in its one away game this season?