Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2025-26 UEFA Champions League | League Phase

Click here to access an assortment of team & player records for the UEFA Champions League!

Greek giants Olympiacos are going reasonably well as they now welcome an entertaining but inconsistent Bayer Leverkusen side to Piraeus this week.

Kick-off date/time: 20 January 2026 at 8:00 pm

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Not televised

How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / US – Paramount+

Olympiacos preview: In with a chance

Former Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar led Olympiacos to the UEFA Europa Conference League title in the 2023/24 campaign, but they have been unable to show that they can be an effective force in European competition in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League this season.

The Greeks come into this week sitting a couple of points outside of the top 24. They went winless in their opening five matches in the league phase but they did manage to edge themselves to a slender 1-0 victory in the far east of Kazakhstan against Kairat Almaty in their most recent outing, last month.

Bayer Leverkusen preview: Entertaining Leverkusen

Bayer Leverkusen have been much-improved and more organised since the early season managerial change of Kasper Hjulmand replacing Erik ten Hag, but their youthful and transitioning squad do remain a very inconsistent side, both in terms of results and performances.

Leverkusen come into this one on the back of a slender 1-0 loss to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga at the weekend. That means the visitors have won three, drawn one and lost four of their last eight matches across all competitions after what had been an impressive run of form through the autumn.

Olympiacos team news: El Kaabi returns

Morocco international striker Ayoub El Kaabi has enjoyed a very impressive AFCON campaign in the last month or so and he has now returned from the tournament.

Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Tzolakis; Rodinei, Biancone, Kalogeropoulos, Ortega; Hezze, Mouzakitis; Podence, Chiquinho, Martins; El Kaabi

Unavailable: Pirola (Injured), Paschalakis (Injured)

Questionable: 

Bayer Leverkusen team news: Couple of injuries

Morocco international attacking midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir has returned from the CAF Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco, while both Edmund Tapsoba and Exequiel Palacios are both sidelined for the visitors.

Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Blaswich; Andrich, Bade, Quansah; Arthur, Fernandez, Garcia, Grimaldo; Tillman, Poku; Schick

Unavailable: Flekken (Injured), Tape (Injured), Tapsoba (Injured), Palacios (Injured), Tella (Injured)

Questionable: 

Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen prediction

That aforementioned run of form a couple of months ago has given Leverkusen hope and belief that they can more than a good enough side to challenge deep into this competition if they find consistency. With a need to win as well as home advantage, Olympiacos will believe they can rattle the Germans cage and so both teams scoring would be a good bet for this one. 

Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen Tip: Both teams to score