Olympiacos had a rough pre-season which included defeats to Dutch sides AZ and Ajax
NEC had the better of the first leg in terms of shots and Expected Goals
Recommended bet: NEC Nijmegen to qualify @ 17/20 with LiveScore Bet
NEC Nijmegen’s return to Champions League action was a bit of a let-down compared to their exhilarating Eredivisie matches last season.
The Dutch side thrilled on their way to a third-placed finish, but they drew 0-0 at Olympiacos in the first leg of their Champions League third-round qualifier.
With home advantage in the return fixture, NEC will be dreaming of progressing to the next round and giving themselves a shot at playing in Europe’s top competition.
The latest NEC Nijmegen v Olympiacos odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
NEC’s new signing Perr Schuurs missed the first leg, as did Koki Ogawa, who competed at the World Cup with Japan.
Former Southampton man Dusan Tadic led the line for NEC at the weekend after joining this summer.
Yusuf Yazici continues to be a long-term injury absentee for Olympiacos after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in May.
The stats
Olympiacos created just 0.41 open play xG in the first leg.
NEC had more touches in the opposition box than Olympiacos last week.
NEC lost their Eredivisie opener, but their second-half display was encouraging.
The Dutch outfit scored 2.41 goals per home game in the Eredivisie last season.
NEC lost only three of their 17 home league games last term.
Olympiacos have fallen short in their previous two Champions League qualifying campaigns, in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
The latest NEC Nijmegen v Olympiacos odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
NEC Nijmegen have had a difficult start to the season, with the club losing 2-1 at home to Telstar in their opening league match of the campaign.
While that is a poor start after last season’s heroics, that contest was always going to be tricky in between two key European matches.
NEC were caught out early on, going 1-0 down within a minute, and 2-0 down before even half an hour had been played. They were rusty across the first half, but they dominated the second.
The hosts had 18 shots after half time, recording 76% possession and 1.56 Expected Goals. They were also the dominant side in terms of chances in Greece last week, and they meet an Olympiacos side who suffered defeats to Eredivisie outfits AZ and Ajax in pre-season.
Ultimately, heading home with the scores still level puts NEC in a very strong position now there are no longer away goals deciding ties.
Olympiacos looked blunt going forward last week, generating only 0.41 xG from open play.
NEC are primed to dominate this second leg, but it could take time for them to really turn the screws. As a result, take them to qualify as this tie could go the distance.
Score prediction: NEC Nijmegen 1-1 Olympiacos (90 minutes)
