Barcelona – Olympiacos match preview
Barcelona will hope to secure their second victory of the Champions League stage when they host Olympiacos on Tuesday evening.
The Catalan side currently sit 16th in the league stage table after a narrow opening win over Newcastle followed by a 2-1 defeat to reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
That defeat was compounded by a 4-1 loss to Sevilla before the international break, leaving Hansi Flick’s men under pressure to respond.
Saturday’s Catalan derby looked headed for another disappointing result after Axel Witsel canceled out Pedri’s opening goal, but substitute Ronald Araujo came to the rescue with a spectacular 93rd-minute goal to seal a 2-1 victory over Girona.
While Flick will undoubtedly have one eye on the upcoming El Clasico, attention first turns to Olympiacos – opponents Barcelona have not faced since the 2017-18 group stage.
Encouragingly for the hosts, they have never lost at home to Greek opposition in European competition, including a 3-1 win over Olympiacos in October 2017.
Flick himself also boasts a 100% record against the Greek champions, having guided Bayern Munich to a 2-0 home victory in the 2019-20 group stage – the year his side lifted the Champions League trophy.
For Olympiacos, this is their first appearance in the main phase of the Champions League since 2020-21, won after winning the Greek Super League title last season.
Manager Jose Luis Mendilibar, who led the club to Europa Conference League glory in 2023-24, started this campaign with a goalless draw against Pafos, but followed it with a 2-0 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Barcelona team news at Olympiacos
Barcelona continues to deal with a long list of injuries. Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Dani Olmo and Joan Garcia all remain on the sidelines. Robert Lewandowski is out for around a month after suffering a hamstring problem on international duty, while Raphinha is still doubtful after missing four matches.
Ferran Torres faces a late fitness test as he struggles with a similar problem, although Flick may avoid taking risks with key players ahead of El Clasico. Fermin Lopez is pushing to start after impressing off the bench against Girona, and Ronald Araujo or Gerard Martín could both return to defense.
For Olympiacos, Rodinei and Gabriel Strefezza are unavailable due to injury. Several others – Nikos Botis, Remy Cabella, Ruben Vezo, Yusuf Yazici, Gustavo Mancha and Konstantinos Angelakis – are not eligible for the Champions League stage.
Expected line-ups for Barcelona vs Olympiacos
Barcelona: Szczesny; Koundé, Araujo, Cubarsi, Martin; De Jong, Garcia, Casado; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford
Olympiacos: Tzolakis; Costinha, Retsos, Pirola, Ortega; Garcia, Hezze; Martins, Chiquinho, Podence; El Kaab
How to watch Barcelona vs Olympiacos: TV channel, online streaming
- Date: Tuesday October 22, 2025
- To start up: 8:00 p.m. BST/9:00 p.m. CET
- Place: Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, Barcelona
- TV channel (UK): TNT Sports 2
- Live broadcast: Discovery+ app and website
The stats of the match Barcelona – Olympiacos
- Barcelona have won their previous three European matches at home against Olympiacos
- Olympiacos have lost their last 11 Champions League group stage/championship matches
- Hansi Flick has already faced Olympiacos once – a 2-0 win while managing Bayern Munich
- Barcelona have scored in every home game this season in all competitions
- Olympiacos are one of two teams yet to score in the 202526 phase of the Champions League.
Prediction
Despite ongoing injury problems, Barcelona possess far superior quality and offensive depth. With confidence restored after their late derby victory, the Blaugrana should have too much firepower for Olympiacos.
Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Olympiacos
