Champions League

PIR Olympiacos Olympiacos - B04 Leverkusen Bayer Leverkusen

Olympiacos Olympiacos

Leverkusen Bayer Leverkusen

M. Taremi
45' +1'
Costinha
2'

Georgios Karaiskakis

Maurizio Mariani

Full-time: Olympiacos 2-0 Leverkusen

After that decisive Taremi strike just before the break, Leverkusen couldn't battle their way back into the game, and it could prove very costly for their qualification chances. For now, they remain in the qualification spots for the play-offs, but they definitely need a result against Villarreal next time out.

Full-time

90'

+ 1

Added time

There will be five minutes added on.

90'

Pressure, but no way through

Leverkusen are sending ball after ball into the Olympiacos box now, but to no avail. Eventually, a cleared Grimaldo cross falls to García, though he can't hit the target with a curling effort.

87'

A short break

Tzolakis is down after a hefty duel, and the goalkeeper needs a moment to recover.

Leverkusen need something quick

We're now 87 minutes in, and the visitors are in desperate need of a goal to give themselves even a tiny chance here.

82'

Substitution

Lorenzo Scipioni

Chiquinho

81'

Substitution

Montrell Culbreath

Ernest Poku

80'

Huge chance

Schick has to score! Arthur has the freedom of the right to find the completely open Schick in the centre. The Czech international goes for goal with his left, but Tzolakis is there to close the effort down superbly.

79'

Still struggling

Leverkusen continue to huff and puff, but they just aren't creating anything at the moment.

79'

Substitution

Bruno Onyemaechi

Gelson Martins

74'

Substitution

Dani García

Christos Mouzakitis

74'

Substitution

Giulian Biancone

Lorenzo Pirola

74'

Triple change

Three changes for Olympiacos as García and Biancone come on, along with the freshly returned AFCON finalist El Kaabi.

74'

Substitution

Ayoub El Kaabi

Mehdi Taremi

73'

Yellow card

Mehdi Taremi

70'

Double change

More Leverkusen subs as Schick and Arthur are on for Kofane and Maza.

70'

Substitution

Patrik Schick

Christian Kofane

70'

Substitution

Arthur

Ibrahim Maza

69'

Huge block

Grimaldo almost has space to shoot inside the box, but Retsos throws himself in the way to block the chance.

69'

Leverkusen struggling

After a good start to the half, the visitors are struggling to break down this resolute Olympiacos defence.

63'

Nearly a way through

Ortega almost works himself some space in the box, but his shot is more of an unfortunate deflection in the end, and the ball goes out for a goal kick.

58'

Hjulmand reacts

The Dane decides to bring on Tillman in place of Vázquez. Can the American have a positive impact?

58'

Substitution

Malik Tillman

Lucas Vázquez

57'

Chiquinho fires over

Chiquinho has a go after Rodinei wins a free-kick in a good position, but the effort clears the bar comfortably.

54'

A short break in play

Hezze feels the full force of a Maza shot in a painful area and needs a moment to recover.

50'

Almost

García almost finds Fernández at the back post with a good cross, but Costinha does well to head the ball behind for a corner. The corner is then wasted, and Olympiacos clear.

47'

Good start

Fernández feeds Maza through, and the Algerian holds off a challenge before shooting across the goalkeeper. The keeper gets a touch, but the referee doesn't see it, and a goal kick is given.

46'

Back underway

Can Leverkusen find a way to turn things around?

Kick-off!

Half-time: Olympiacos 2-0 Leverkusen

And so a disastrous first half for Leverkusen comes to an end. Olympiacos opened the scoring after just two minutes through Costinha after Badé gave away a soft corner. Leverkusen then grew into the game with Kofane having a couple of good chances, only for Olympiacos to counter just before the break, allowing Taremi the chance to make it 2-0. It's a long way back for Leverkusen now.

Half-time

Taremi makes it 2-0!

Kofane has another big chance at one end after great work from Maza, and then Olympiacos counter. Rodinei sends a delightful ball through to Taremi, and the experienced striker hammers the chance home to double the lead. A hammer blow for Leverkusen just before the break.

45'

+ 1

Mehdi Taremi

GOAL!

2:0

45'

Another big chance

Kofane almost pokes home, but Tzolakis makes an important stop. Grimaldo then shoots, but his effort is also kept out.

44'

Sitter missed!

Maza sends in an inviting cross from the left that lands right at the feet of Vázquez at the back post, but he can only chip over with the goal gaping in front of him.

Leverkusen's best chance

Leverkusen have had their moments. The best of which was this one for Kofane after 25 minutes.

38'

Almost an opportunity

Poku bursts forward down the left before dipping inside and looking to shoot, but Hezze does superbly to deny the Dutchman the necessary space.

37'

Entertaining stuff

Grimaldo has a shot from the edge of the box, well saved at one end, and then at the other, Taremi tries an overhead kick, but misses the target.

36'

Unlucky

Grimaldo has a shot blocked, and then Maza almost bundles his way through, but is eventually crowded out at the cost of a corner.

30'

More Olympiacos danger

The hosts want a penalty as Andrich challenges Chiquinho in the box, but nothing is given.

29'

Yellow card

Christian Kofane

25'

Dangerous

Grimaldo feeds Badé on the left. The defender then whips in a delightful cross that Kofane gets a touch on just in front of the goalkeeper, but the touch is too feint and the ball rolls wide for a goal kick.

21'

An even game

Since Olympiacos opened the scoring, both sides have had their moments. The next goal could be very important.

16'

Much better

This is a lot better from Leverkusen. Vázquez and Fernández combine superbly to give the former space in the box. He shoots from a tough angle, but Tzolakis makes a good stop.

15'

Ambitious

A cross from the left is cushioned back to Mouzakitis via a combination of Taremi and Chiquinho. The youngster has a go, but doesn't catch his shot cleanly, and the effort goes wide.

10'

Leverkusen threaten

The visitors pinch the ball high up the pitch and look to counter. In the end, Grimaldo's close is deflected behind for a corner. The corner is headed back across goal by Quansah. A couple of players challenge for the loose ball before it drops to Badé. He shoots, but Tzolakis makes a good stop.

Reckless

Former Leverkusen man Retsos catches Grimaldo far too late and is shown a yellow card even at this early stage.

Yellow card

Panagiotis Retsos

Costinha breaks the deadlock

Badé gives away a sloppy corner under pressure from Chiquinho, and the visitors are immediately punished. The corner is swung in from the right and met by the free head of Costinha, and Leverkusen are behind inside two minutes. Disastrous start.

Costinha

GOAL!

1:0

We're underway

The ball is moving in Greece. Can Leverkusen put themselves in a great position to qualify?

Kick-off!

The famous anthem

The players are on the pitch, and the Champions League anthem is being played. We're about to get underway.

Players in the tunnel

Kick-off is fast approaching now.

More on that Leverkusen team

Hjulmand makes four changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Hoffenheim at the weekend. Blaswich replaces the injured Flekken in goal, and Vázquez comes in at right-back. Up front, two of Leverkusen's AFCON representatives return to the starting XI in Kofane and Maza, who replace Schick and Tillman, respectively.

More on that Olympiacos team

Olympiacos make three changes from the side that lost 2-0 to PAOK at the weekend as Pirola, Hezze and Rodinei come into the starting XI. The big news for the hosts is that El Kaabi returns to the squad after representing Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Starting line-up: Olympiacos FC

Konstantinos Tzolakis

Christos Mouzakitis

Mehdi Taremi

Olympiacos subs

Botis, Biancone, Kalogeropoulos, Diogo Nascimento, El Kaabi, Yaremchuk, Dani García, Scipioni, Strefezza, Podence, Onyemaechi

Starting line-up: Bayer 04 Leverkusen

Leverkusen subs

Schlich, Lomb, Tillman, Arthur, Schick, Tape, Culbreath, Belocian

José Luis Mendilibar on facing Leverkusen

"[They are an] attacking team, especially from the wings. We need to be very careful in defence and, at the same time, make the most of any spaces that they might leave open when they charge forward."

1:28

Watch: Hjulmand's press conference ahead of facing Olympiacos

Tight at the top

Olympiacos have hopes of claiming a 49th Greek title this season. They are currently in third place in the Super League but are just two points shy of both PAOK and AEK Athens - with a game in hand.

Probable Leverkusen XI

Blaswich - Quansah, Andrich (c), Badé - Arthur, García, Fernández, Grimaldo - Tillman, Poku - Schick

Probable Olympiacos XI

Tzolakis - Rodinei, Biancone, Retsos (c), Ortega - Hezze, Mouzakitis - Martins, Chiquinho, Podence - Taremi

Latest Olympiacos team news

Olympiacos coach José Luis Mendilibar claims key Italian defender Lorenzo Pirola will be available after a foot injury. He was keeping his cards close to his chest in his pre-match press conference, saying "you will see whether there are changes" to the side that started the 2-0 defeat at home to POAK in the Greek cup last week.

Latest Leverkusen team news

The good news first - Exequiel Palacios and Axel Tape both trained on Monday and might be included in Leverkusen's squad in Greece. Now the less pleasing bit - Mark Flekken has been ruled out until at least March due to a knee problem, with Nathan Tella also unavailable for the foreseeable future with a foot injury.

Kasper Hjulmand on facing Olympiacos

"It will be a tight match, but we're here to make it happen. We need a better performance, we're being completely honest with ourselves. We have to play with everything we've got."

Retsos reunion

Leverkusen will come up against former player Panagiotis Retsos, who is now the captain of the Greek outfit. The defender made 43 appearances for the club between 2017 and 2021, scoring one goal.

Retsos recalls Leverkusen stint

"I have only good memories of that time [at Leverkusen]. The stadium is fantastic, and the club has a clear vision for the future. And that's exactly what I experienced during my time at Bayer. I was very happy in Leverkusen."

... on facing his former club

"We must focus on our main goal, which is to win. Nothing can hold us back, and we must not be afraid. We must be determined, knowing that we have two games to play and win. That will undoubtedly put some pressure on us, but it could also be useful. We usually react well to pressure, and I hope that we will manage to get those two victories when the time comes. We have the quality."

Early Leverkusen team news

The Werkself suffered a couple of injury blows during their 1-0 loss to Hoffenheim at the weekend, with Mark Flekken and Nathan Tella both forced off - the duo will be unavailable for this encounter as a result. Elsewhere, Exequiel Palacios, Axel Tape and Edmond Tapsoba are all unavailable. Eliesse Ben Seghir is now back in contention once more after the Africa Cup of Nations has come to an end, although an injury - apparently nothing too serious - kept him out of the final for Morocco in their defeat to Senegal.

Good omens

Leverkusen have only lost three of their last 22 UEFA competition group stage/league phase matches (W13 D6). Kasper Hjulmand's side are also unbeaten away from home in this season's competition, drawing 2-2 against Copenhagen before picking up wins at Benfica (1-0) and Manchester City (2-0), keeping back-to-back clean sheets.

4:32

Watch: Grimaldo - Leverkusen's beating heart

The Spaniard, who has struck in Leverkusen's last two Champions League games, against Manchester City and Newcastle United, has been influential under Kasper Hjulmand.

Leverkusen's good form against Greek sides

Die Werkself are unbeaten (W2, D1) in their last three against Greek sides and have kept a clean sheet in each game.

Germany woes for Olympiacos

The Greek side haven't won in their last 13 encounters with German opposition, losing 12 of those. Their last win against German opposition came against Dortmund in October 2011.

0:59

Watch: Leverkusen lose ground on top four

Wouter Burger scored the only goal of the game as Hoffenheim beat Leverkusen 1-0 to solidify their position in the top four.

Head-to-head

The two sides have only met twice in UEFA competitions, and that was during the group stage of the 2002/03 Champions League. Olympiacos won the match in Greece 6-2, but Leverkusen won in Germany 2-0.

Leverkusen - the story so far

Die Werkself find themselves in a slightly precarious position with two games remaining. They have only lost one of their six games, but have drawn three, meaning they sit 20th with nine points. Currently, they will qualify for the playoff round, but if they struggle in their two remaining fixtures, then that is not guaranteed. Equally, wins in the final two games could still allow Leverkusen to make a late charge for automatic qualification for the Round of 16.

Olympiacos - the story so far

With two draws and three defeats in their opening five matchdays, the Greek champions picked up their first Champions League win of the season against Kairat Almaty (1-0) on Matchday 6 to move within two points of 24th, which would secure them a place in the play-off for the knockout stages.

Hello and welcome!

Welcome along and thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the UEFA Champions League fixture between Olympiacos and Bayer Leverkusen.