Jesus rumoured to be fit and possibly starting?
Sergio not back until after international break.
Here's an insight from our very own. Georgios Samaras...... (Courtesy of the OS)
Georgios Samaras remains City's only Greek player. Signed as a 20 year-old in 2006 at a cost of £6.5m, he went on to make 64 appearances and scoring 12 goals.
In January 2008, he moved to Celtic on loan, making the switch permanent in the summer and went on to win four SPL titles during a successful seven-year stay at Celtic Park. Still only 35, he has now retired and is Vice President at his hometown OFI Crete. where he is part of a movement to help transform Greek football.
Georgios knows Olympiakos well, and here, he tells us what we should expect...
"Olympiakos are one of the biggest clubs in Greece and I think they have been in the Champions League every year for the past 20 years, so they are experienced and they know this tournament," says Samaras.
"They have quality players and they have the same coach for the past two and a half years, so they have a philosophy and a game plan and they are not afraid to play.
"They don’t have the same quality at City do, but they can play without fear. Their mentality will be to go and win this game, because that what they have to do each week in the Greek league – as they did against Marseille and they tried to do against Porto – so they will play their game and not try change to much or get a result by any means.
"Against City or team in that bracket, it will be difficult of course, because City will look to dominate the game from the start, but Olympiakos have the ability to defend, keep the ball and create chances because of their experience in the Champions League.
"If City control the game from the first minute, it will be hard for Olympiakos because it’s hard for any team to defend against that sort of attack and be under constant pressure.
"City are the favourites, for sure, but they need to be 100% focused so there are no surprises, because Olympiakos are capable of surprises and they will have their chances – whether they take them or not when they come along will be key.
"I expect Olympiakos to have a spell, whether that is five minutes, 10 minutes, or 15 minutes – that is up to City – but in the end, they have nothing to lose because nobody expects them to win. They won’t be criticised by their fans or the media if they do lose, so they can have some freedom in this respect.
"It’s my personal opinion that if you play in Manchester, Glasgow, or Athens, it is exactly the same – it’s just a game of football on a pitch – the fans are everything and can change the game.
"On the south side of Europe and around the Baltic area, the fans are a big advantage for the clubs because they push them, so without them, it is harder. Now there are no home teams and no away teams.
"Olympiacos have played Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Barcelona so they know this competition and are in it on merit."
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