Asteras Tripolis — Olympiacos Piraeus : Match Preview and Prediction for September 24,2025

Asteras Tripolis: Current Form and Offensive Struggles

Let’s start with the home team. Asteras Tripolis has not been shining this season, remaining winless so far. This is hardly a side capable of producing a goalfest, especially when facing a top-tier opponent, even one with a weakened squad. Their recent Super League encounter against Volos ended in a 2-1 defeat. A crucial detail from that match is that their only goal came from a penalty, highlighting significant challenges in creating scoring opportunities from open play.

Statistical Overview: Lack of Attacking Threat

The statistics from that game further corroborate these observations. Asteras managed only 11 shots on goal and recorded an xG (expected goals) of just 1.40, which is considerably low. Delving deeper into their recent head-to-head history, their last match against Olympiacos in August saw Asteras register only 3 shots throughout the entire game, with merely one on target. Their xG for that fixture was a negligible 0.14. Clearly, this team struggles to pose a threat in the opposition’s final third.

Recent Cup Performance and Goal-Scoring Woes

Their Cup match against Kifisia on September 17th also concluded in a low-scoring 1-1 draw. This further reinforces the pattern of defensive, tight games. Asteras Tripolis is currently in a state where even scoring a single goal is a significant challenge. To expect them to breach Olympiacos’ defense multiple times in this upcoming fixture would be overly optimistic.

Olympiacos Piraeus: Squad Rotation and Key Absences

Moving on to the visitors, Olympiacos arrives in Tripolis with what can only be described as a heavily rotated and weakened squad. Coach José Luis Mendilibar is implementing a significant lineup rotation, a concrete fact rather than mere speculation. Key players are absent from the squad list, including first-choice goalkeeper Tzolakis, defenders Retsos, Rodinei, and Ortega, as well as attacking players Yaremchuk and Gelson Martins. Additionally, Cipioni is sidelined due to injury.

Strategic Rotation Ahead of Critical Fixtures

The rationale behind such extensive rotation is crystal clear. Olympiacos faces an extremely demanding schedule ahead, with crucial fixtures against Levadiakos, London’s Arsenal, and PAOK on the horizon. Mendilibar is strategically resting his key players, fielding a reserve squad for this Cup match. Consequently, the team’s cohesion and offensive potency are expected to be significantly diminished.

Recent Goal-Scoring Form of Olympiacos

Even Olympiacos’s primary squad has not been particularly prolific in front of goal recently. Their last outing, a derby against Panathinaikos, ended in a 1-1 draw. The statistics from that game are telling: Olympiacos’s xG stood at a mere 0.99. This followed a goalless draw against Pafos in the Champions League. These results underscore a recent trend of lower goal output for the team.