Date: February 17, 2022
Time: 18:00 CET
Atalanta’s European adventures recommence again, unfortunately perhaps, on Thursday nights for the rest of the winter and spring. While Atalanta was unable to reach the Champion’s League knockouts for the third consecutive campaign, La Dea looks primed to continue fighting for European glory as one of a handful of standout favorites in the Europa League. But before Atalanta looks too far into the future for potential matchups against European giants like Barcelona, Dortmund, and Leipzig, Gian Piero Gasperini and his squad have a very tricky round of fixtures with a team hailing from Italy’s Ionian Sea neighbors.
Olympiacos has been the class of the Greek Super League for some time. The Thrylos are yet to lose in their domestic campaign this year, and coolly maneuvered a tricky Europa League group in which they prevailed over the likes of Royal Antwerp and Fenerbahce. Additionally, Olympiacos has recently made it a habit of advancing deep into the Europa League – beating PSV in the round of 32 last year and knocking out Arsenal prior to the COVID lockdowns. Olympiacos has a pedigree of performing well on the European stage. With a varied squad that nicely mixes Greek Super League with and exciting youngsters, life will be anything but easy for La Dea over the next two weeks.
Olympiacos Player to Watch – Youssef El-Arabi
Youssef El-Arabi can find the net with the best of them. Instincts for the back of net have led to double digit goal tallies in France, Spain, Qatar, and of course in Greece – where he has eclipsed the 20 goal mark with Olympiacos twice. The former Moroccan international may be getting up there in age; yet, his quality is still evident, bolstered by his 11 goals scored over the last three years for Olympiacos in European competitions.
Incredibly lanky, he moves as if his limbs are a bit too long for his torso – and honestly his movements are quite similar to the Atalantino who will most likely be tasked in marking him – Merih Demiral. The matchup will be quite juicy, not just because of the importance on the outcome of the match – but it also has the potential to comically look like a funhouse mirror that does anything but mimic appropriate bodily movement. But don’t get too enthralled by the spectacle, El-Arabi still has the quality to sneak a goal past the keeper in the blink of an eye.
Atalanta Passione’s Predicted Starting XI
Let’s mix it up a bit! The Teun Koopmeiners express was a sight to behold further up the pitch, and it would be crazy not to see if there is substance with the Dutchman in a more advanced role against weaker opposition. Simultaneously this permits Remo Freuler and Marten de Roon to partake in their usual midfield hassling duties.
With Papa Mario Pasalic on new dad duty it may be wise to give the Croatian a rest and permit Jeremie Boga to linkup with his new best friend on the pitch (Koopmeiners for those who hadn’t figured it out!) Ruslan Malinovskyi is flying high on form and deserves to start, but perhaps most importantly with all these tactical switches it allows Luis Muriel to do what he does best – be an impact sub.
Further back the pitch, La Dea is a bit hamstrung in defense. With Jose Palomino likely unavailable, it puts a lot of pressure on the DDT backline. While the trio is as good at exterminating opposition’s chances as the OG DDT is at exterminating malaria, they’ll need a rest eventually. It probably doesn’t come midweek, but another Giorgio Scalvini sighting may be in the cards soon.
Three Small Keys for Three Big Points
Strike Fast- Atalanta hosts first, so make proceedings as difficult as possible for the visitors still trying to acclimate post international voyage. Similar to the way Atalanta opened the Champion’s League against Villarreal, with a vice grip, trying to go for as many goals as possible in the early going could save a lot of headaches in the return fixture – if the onslaught is successful.
Be Direct in Attack- Olympiacos is not the type of squad Atalanta should let get comfortable in its defensive setup and must always be looking to strike in uncertain moments. This screams for Jeremie Boga to cook. Olympiacos may have only conceded eleven goals in the Super League, but its backline pairing of Kostas Manolas and Sokratis Papastathopolous (best surname in football???) is not the quickest and will likely be vulnerable to productive speed.
Overlap Like No Tomorrow- If Atalanta does indeed go with a five midfield setup, offense will have to go from unpredictable spots. Everyone already knows the confusion Rafael Toloi and Berat Djimsiti can add to a tactic with their movement, but it should be cranked into overdrive against the Greek side. Its doubtful the Greek Super League is teeming with advanced deep rooted tactics, so any confusion La Dea can throw at its mythological opponents should be welcomed.
Olympiacos and Atalanta, what a Greek mythology combination that is! A combination of the world’s premier sporting competition paired with Greek mythology’s best athlete is football poetry at its best. To continue with the analogy, La Dea faithful can only hope that Atalanta uses its matches against Olympiacos as its own personal Olympics and brings its best. If Bergamasca Sofia Goggia can win the silver medal in downhill skiing with a partially torn UCL and a broken leg, the boys can bring the necessary effort for 90 minutes. But to be safe, let’s cross our fingers that Atalanta take some of Sofia’s good luck voodoo and puts on a clinic at the Gewiss Thursday evening. A deep run in the Europa League is Atalanta’s to have if the boys want it, so let’s start off on the right foot Thursday! As always, Forza Dea!!!
