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UEFA Champions League Preview: Olympiakos v Rosenborg (Group F) [Tue Sep 13th, 2005]
In the opening match day of UEFA Champions League Group F, Greek double winners Olympiakos host Rosenborg, in a game that promises to be highly entertaining.
BACKGROUND
Olympiakos can easily be characterized as the team of antithesis. For eight consecutive seasons they have entered the CL’s group stage, seven of them as champions, and they have built up a home record envied by even some of the top clubs in Europe.
Strange though, when it is high time for them to assert an away win, something mysterious happens that obstructs them from taking the three points they want so much. As a result, Olympiakos have yet to celebrate one.
However, on opening days it’s a different matter for the Greek double winners, who have a thrilling 3-3 home draw against the later winners of the CL, Real Madrid, in 1999-00. And of course their shock 6-2 win against the 2001-02 CL finalists Bayer Leverkusen in 2002.
They are in excellent mood as with two wins up to now (one of which was away in the big Greek derby against Panathinaikos), they are alone at the top in the Greek First Division.
Also from a tactical point of view, their new coach, Norwegian Trond Sollied, has turned them into a more organised team ready for what they dream all these years. A European success.
Indeed, one big negative for the visitors is the fact that Olympiakos’ coach is an ex-Rosenborg man.
On the other hand, consecutive Norwegian titles seem to be leading to ennui at Rosenborg, who are desperately looking for new challenges. Europe could be one but definitely not for this group of players, who are quite aged.
The proof. That Rosenborg remain in relegation trouble in the Norwegian Eliteserien after letting slip a two-goal lead against Viking FK to lose 3-2.
The teams have drawn each other once before, in 1997/1998. Then, Rosenborg in the first match in Trondheim crushed the Greeks 5-1; but in the return leg, thanks to a free kick by Olympiakos’ present captain Predrag Djordjevic, the Greeks scrambled a win.
The Norwegians' tally of eleven points wasn’t enough for them to go through that time.
TEAM NEWS
No particular problem for Olympiakos’ coach apart from the injury of Greece’s European champion, Michalis Kapsis, during the game for the World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan.
In Athens, Rosenborg are expected to be without defenders Christer Basma, Robbie Russell and Miika Koppinen through injury. Goalkeeper Espen Johnsen is also a doubt with a knee problem.
Referee: Stefano Farina (ITA)/ Georgios Karaiskakis stadium, 21:45 (local time)
Michael Paterakis
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