Olympiacos vs Jagiellonia – News and Probable Lineups

On Wednesday evening, Olympiacos will face Jagiellonia Bialystok at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium for the first match of the 2026-27 Europa League group stage, with the Greek team aiming to kick off their European journey with a victory.

The hosts have experienced a rocky start to their season, failing to progress to the Champions League group stage and parting ways with Jose Luis Mendilibar last week, subsequently hiring Imanol Alguacil. In the meantime, Jagiellonia comes to Piraeus following a 2-0 loss at Wisla Krakow.

Match overview

Olympiacos approaches their inaugural Europa League game this season under unusual conditions after Mendilibar was relieved of his duties on September 10, just seven matches into the current campaign.

The Spanish manager brought home the club’s maiden European trophy and led them to a domestic double in 2024-25, yet the club deemed a change in strategy was needed and undertook a restructuring process within the football operations.

Imanol Alguacil has stepped in as the new head coach, though he could not have faced a tougher initiation, as his first challenge ended in a disappointing 1-0 defeat at home to OFI Crete on Saturday.

This defeat leaves Olympiacos with only two wins from their opening four Greek Super League fixtures, both victories coming in their first two league matches where they narrowly defeated Atromitos and Asteras Tripolis 1-0 each. They also triumphed 4-0 over Larissa in the Greek Cup and managed a 1-1 draw against Volos, followed by a 3-2 win in another fixture against Volos in the Greek Cup.

Against OFI, it wasn’t just the result that was concerning but also the timing, as Alguacil had limited opportunity to implement his philosophy, with the coach not having much time to make changes prior to the European opener.

The Greek club has entered the Europa League after being eliminated 2-1 on aggregate by Dutch team Nijmegen in the third qualifying round, with the tie resolved in extra time of the second leg after the first leg ended in a stalemate.

This match will mark the first competitive encounter between Olympiacos and their Polish adversaries, with their only previous meeting being a friendly match in 2019 which Olympiacos won 5-0.

Historically, the Greek side has encountered Polish opposition before in European competitions, suffering defeat over two legs against Gornik Zabrze in the 1987-88 season.

On the other hand, Jagiellonia has successfully progressed through the qualifying rounds of the Europa League to reach this stage for the first time after participating in consecutive group stage campaigns in the Conference League.

Adrian Siemieniec’s team commenced their European journey in the Europa League qualifying playoffs against Rangers, securing a 3-2 aggregate victory, followed by a 6-1 aggregate win against Iberia 1999.

However, their recent domestic form has been less impressive, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Lech Poznan, followed by a 2-0 loss at Wisla Krakow on Friday, which was sandwiched between a 2-1 triumph over Slask Wroclaw.

Jagiellonia has a history of playing in Greece, having drawn away to Aris in the 2010-11 Europa League qualifying rounds, but they failed to secure a win in either leg, leaving them still searching for a victory against Greek clubs.

Team News

Olympiacos will miss the services of Ayoub El Kaabi due to a fractured cheekbone, and winger Joel Roca is dealing with a shoulder injury.

Konstantinos Fortounis is suspended, while several players are unlisted for participation, leaving Alguacil with limited choices.

In his first match, Alguacil deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, with former Nottingham Forest striker Jota Silva leading the frontline, while ex-Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is expected to take his place in goal.

For Jagiellonia, they have one confirmed absence with Ousmane Sow out due to a muscle injury, but the Polish outfit otherwise has a robust squad available, although Siemieniec may opt for changes following the disappointing result against Wisla.

The visitors’ starting lineup for that fixture featured Sławomir Abramowicz in goal, with Norbert Wojtuszek, Bernardo Vital, Apostolos Konstantopoulos, and Bartlomiej Wdowik in defence, while Jeremy Agbonifo and Kajetan Szmyt supported Nik Prelec in attack.

Olympiacos probable starting XI:

Ortega; Holmgren Pedersen, Retsos, Pirola, Tiknizyan; Puerta, Freuler; Gonzalez, Chiquinho, Fortounis; Silva

Jagiellonia Bialystok probable starting XI:

Abramovich; Wojtuszek, Vital, Konstantopoulos, Widow; Klynge, Romanczuk, Imaz; Agbonifo Prelec, Szmyt

On paper, Olympiacos appears to be the stronger squad and should find significant advantages playing at Karaiskakis, where they are expected to dominate the match from the beginning, given their team possesses considerable European experience.

The visitors should have sufficient attacking prowess to pose a challenge to the hosts, but the home side’s superior individual quality alongside the home advantage is likely to be decisive.