UEFA Champions League - 2019/20 SeasonMatch press kits

Olympiacos return to the UEFA Champions League after a season away with a challenging home game against last season's runners-up, Tottenham Hotspur.

• While the Greek club's most recent competition appearance came in 2017/18, Spurs went all the way to the final last time out, winning memorable knockout ties against Manchester City and Ajax only to lose to Liverpool in the all-English final in Madrid.

Previous meetings
• The clubs' only previous fixtures came 47 years ago, in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup second round. Holders Spurs effectively sealed progress with a 4-0 win at White Hart Lane, Jimmy Pearce scoring twice with Martin Chivers and Ralph Coates also on target; a Roman Arguroidis goal gave Olympiacos some pride via a 1-0 second-leg victory.

Form guide
Olympiacos
• The Greek side last took part in the group stage in 2017/18, when they finished bottom of a section including Barcelona, Juventus and Sporting CP having collected only one point from their six fixtures.

• In 2018/19 Olympiacos went from the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round to the round of 32 thanks to a memorable matchday six defeat of AC Milan in Piraeus. They were unable to get past Dynamo Kyiv in the first knockout round, however, going out 3-2 on aggregate (2-2 h, 0-1 a).

• Second in the 2018/19 Greek Super League behind PAOK, Pedro Martins' side are unbeaten with just one goal conceded in this season's UEFA Champions League, having kicked off in the second qualifying round. They beat Viktoria Plzeň (0-0 a, 4-0 h) and İstanbul Başakşehir in the third qualifying round (1-0 a, 2-0 h) before overcoming Krasnodar in the play-offs (4-0 h, 2-1 a).

• This season's successes have made it nine home European games without defeat for Olympiacos (W7 D2), since a 2-0 loss against Juventus on matchday six of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League.

• Olympiacos have won five of their last six home fixtures against English visitors, most recently defeating Burnley 3-1 in last season's UEFA Europa League play-off first leg (1-1 a).

Tottenham
• Fourth in the 2018/19 Premier League, this is Tottenham's fifth UEFA Champions League campaign, and a fourth successive group stage appearance.

• In last season's competition, Mauricio Pochettino's side recovered from taking one point from their first three games to finish second in Group B behind Barcelona, ahead of Internazionale and PSV Eindhoven, via a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou on matchday six. Borussia Dortmund were then brushed aside in the round of 16 (3-0 h, 1-0 a) before dramatic away-goal victories against both Manchester City (1-0 h, 3-4 a) and Ajax (0-1 h, 3-2 a) took Spurs into a first European Cup final. Premier League rivals Liverpool proved too strong at the Estadio Metropolitano, however, running out 2-0 winners.

• Spurs' record in last season's competition was W6 D2 L5. They lost three of their last four matches.

• The Lilywhites picked up only two points on their travels in the 2018/19 group stage, and have won only three of their 12 away group matches in the UEFA Champions League – and one of the last five.

• The second-leg victory at Ajax in last season's semi-final was only Spurs' sixth win in their last 21 European away matches (D7 L8).

• Spurs' last trip to Greece brought their first victory, a 2-1 success at Asteras Tripolis in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League group stage in which Harry Kane scored the winning goal. That was the London club's fourth trip to Greece (D2 L1).

• Kane had scored his first club hat-trick in Spurs' 5-1 home win against Asteras two weeks earlier.

Links and trivia
• Have played in England:
Omar Elabdellaoui (Hull 2017 (loan))
Andreas Bouchalakis (Nottingham Forest 2017/18 (loan))

• Have played together:
Mathieu Valbuena & Hugo Lloris (France 2010–15)
Mathieu Valbuena & Moussa Sissoko (France 2012–15)
Vasilis Torosidis & Erik Lamela (Roma 2012/13)
Rúben Semedo, Daniel Podence & Eric Dier (Sporting CP 2013/14)
Maximiliano Lovera & Giovani Lo Celso (Rosario 2016)

Latest news

Olympiacos
• Summer transfers
In: Rúben Semedo (Villarreal), Εl Arbi Hillel Soudani (Nottingham Forest)*, Bruno (LASK Linz)*, Svetozar Marković (FK Partizan)*, Mathieu Valbuena (Fenerbahçe), Bobby Allain (Dijon), Youssef El Arabi (al-Duhail), Fiorin Durmishaj (Panionios)*, José Sá (Porto, loan made permanent), Ousseynou Ba (Ajaccio)*, Maximiliano Lovera (Rosario Central), Yassine Benzia (LOSC Lille, loan), Bruno Gaspar (Sporting CP, loan)
Out: Björn Engels (Reims), Dimitris Nikolaou (Empoli), Bibras Natcho (Partizan), Dimitris Goutas (Atromitos), Andreas Gianniotis (Maccabi Tel-Aviv), Igor Silva (Osijek, loan), Giorgos Manthatis (Anorthosis, loan), Dimitris Manos (OFI, loan), Marios Vrousai (Willem II, loan), Franco Soldano (Boca Juniors, loan), Lefteris Choutesiotis (released), Fiorin Durmishaj (Waasland-Beveren, loan), Matías Nahuel (Tenerife), Thanasis Androutsos (Atromitos, loan), Jagoš Vuković (released)
*Not in UEFA Champions League squad

• Mathieu Valbuena's next appearance in UEFA club competition will be his 100th.

• Olympiacos's record this season is W8 D1, with 20 goals scored and only one conceded – in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off against Krasnodar – and wins in their last eight matches, most recently Saturday's 5-0 league success against Volos.

• Olympiacos are unbeaten in their last 17 matches in all competitions (W16 D1). Their last defeat came on 28 February, when they lost 1-0 at home to Lamia in the Greek Cup quarter-final second leg.

• Summer signings Youssef El Arabi and Valbuena scored the winning goals in Olympiacos's first two league games, 1-0 wins against Asteras Tripolis and Larissa respectively.

• Rúben Semedo has undergone arthroscopic surgery after picking up a knee injury during the play-off second leg against Krasnodar.

• Olympiacos captain Kostas Fortounis is expected to be out of action until March 2020 after suffering a knee ligament injury in a pre-season friendly against Hamburg on 10 July.

• Lazaros Christodoulopoulos has been sidelined since 17 February with a cruciate knee ligament injury and has not been included in this season's UEFA Champions League squad. He returned to full training during the recent international break.

• Giorgos Masouras scored his first goal for Greece in a 1-1 draw against Liechtenstein on 8 September.

• Yassine Meriah was part of the Tunisia squad that finished fourth at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations in July, where he was included in the team of the tournament.

• Goalkeeper José Sá was called up by Portugal for the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers against Serbia and Lithuania earlier this month, and was an unused substitute in both games.

Tottenham
• Summer transfers
In: Jack Clarke (Leeds), Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon), Kion Etete (Notts County), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis, loan), Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)
Out: Fernando Llorente (Napoli), Kieran Trippier (Atlético Madrid), Michel Vorm (released), Jack Clarke (Leeds, loan), Luke Amos (QPR, loan), Vincent Janssen (Monterrey), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Stoke City, loan), Josh Onomah (Fulham), Georges-Kévin Nkoudou (Beşiktaş), Marcus Edwards (Vitória SC)

• Spurs have won two of their first five Premier League matches this season, both at home, beating Aston Villa 3-1 on the opening day and Crystal Palace 4-0 on Saturday; their record in between was D2 L1.

• Heung-Min Son scored twice against Palace, his first league double since 26 December 2018. His last Spurs goals prior to Saturday were the two he scored at Manchester City in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg.

• Tottenham have won just two of their last 13 away matches in all competitions (D2 L9), most recently at Ajax in last season's UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg. They have not won away in the Premier League since a 2-1 success at Fulham on 20 January.

• Harry Kane has seven goals in seven appearances for club and country this season.

• Kane scored a hat-trick, including two penalties, in England's 4-0 UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying win against Bulgaria on 7 September and was also on target in a 5-3 defeat of Kosovo three days later, though he missed a spot kick in the latter fixture.

• Toby Alderweireld scored his fourth goal for Belgium in a 4-0 win away to Scotland on 9 September, his 94th international appearance.

• Christian Eriksen scored two penalties and set up another two goals as Denmark beat Gibraltar 6-0 on 5 September.

• Giovani Lo Celso sustained a hip injury during Argentina's 0-0 draw in Chile on 5 September and is expected to be sidelined until the end of October.

• Colombia's Davinson Sánchez (ankle) also picked up an injury on international duty and missed the Palace game. 

• Kyle Walker-Peters has been out since 25 August with a thigh injury; Tanguy Ndombele recovered from a similar problem to make his first appearance since 17 August as a second-half substitute on Saturday.

• Summer signing Ryan Sessegnon is yet to play for Spurs due to a thigh injury, while Eric Dier (hip) and Juan Foyth (ankle) have not appeared this season.

Date of birth: 17 July 1970
Nationality: Portuguese
Playing career: Feirense, Vitória SC, Sporting CP, Boavista, Santa Clara, Alverca
Coaching career: União Lamas, Lusitânia, Espinho, Marítimo B, Marítimo, Rio Ave, Vitória SC, Olympiacos

• Martins joined the youth ranks of Feirense at the age of 13 and made his professional debut five years later. He started as an attacking midfielder but dropped back into a more defensive role, going on to play almost 200 games in the Portuguese Liga and over 100 in the second division.

• Won his solitary cap for Portugal as a substitute against Northern Ireland in qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, hanging up his boots in 2004 having spent his entire playing career in his homeland.

• Two years after his retirement he landed his first coaching job at the helm of third division União Lamas, going on to have spells with Lusitânia and Espinho before taking over Marítimo's B team. In September 2010 he was promoted to their senior side and the transition proved successful, Martins taking them to fifth place in the top flight in 2011/12 and through two qualifying rounds into the UEFA Europa League group stage the following season.

• In 2014 accepted a new challenge at Rio Ave, also leading them into the UEFA Europa League via a sixth-placed finish in the league; returned to Vitória SC in Guimarães, where he had spent a season as a player, in 2016, taking them to fourth place and the Portuguese Cup final in 2016/17.

• Left his post in February 2018, taking over at Olympiacos two months later for his first post outside Portugal; ended his first full season in second place in the Greek Super League and in summer 2019 led the Piraeus club through qualifying to earn a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Date of birth: 2 March 1972
Nationality: Argentinian
Playing career: Newell's Old Boys, Espanyol (three times), Paris Saint-Germain, Bordeaux
Coaching career: Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham

• A tough-tackling central defender, Pochettino was a product of Newell's Old Boys in Argentina where he briefly played with the legendary Diego Maradona during his five years in the senior squad.

• He moved to Europe in 1994 to join Spanish side Espanyol and won the Copa del Rey in 2000, before joining Paris in January 2001. After a stint at Bordeaux, returned to Espanyol, initially on loan, before hanging up his boots in 2006 having won another Copa del Rey. Capped 20 times by Argentina, appearing in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

• Switched to coaching with Espanyol in January 2009, with the club lying third from bottom in the Spanish Liga; guided them to a tenth-placed finish. Under Pochettino, three further mid-table finishes followed before a slow start to 2012/13 prompted his departure.

• Surprisingly resurfaced in England at Southampton in January 2013, succeeding Nigel Adkins; introduced a high-pressing, attacking style which helped the club keep clear of relegation trouble. In his first full season in charge, took Saints to eighth position with 56 points – a new club record.

• Appointed Tottenham manager in May 2014, and led the side to the English League Cup final in his debut campaign, only to lose out to Chelsea. In 2015/16, Pochettino's side were in contention to win the club's first league title since 1961 until a draw at Chelsea with two games to go; finished third to book a UEFA Champions League return, and finished Premier League runners-up in 2016/17, before claiming third spot again the following season. Dropped to fourth in 2018/19, when consolation came with a remarkable run to the UEFA Champions League final, Spurs eventually losing out to Liverpool in Madrid.

UEFA Champions League: Did you know?

Overall records
• In 2012/13, Chelsea became the first defending champions to fail to get through a group stage since the UEFA Champions League began. (This record, like the others, includes the seasons between 1999/2000 and 2002/03 that featured a second group stage). In 1992/93, Barcelona were the reigning European Champion Clubs' Cup holders and lost 4-3 on aggregate in the second round to CSKA Moskva.

• In 2016/17 Real Madrid became the first team to successfully defend the UEFA Champions League trophy, with AC Milan (1989, 1990) the previous club to win consecutive European Cups. Milan (1994, 1995), Ajax (1995, 1996), Juventus (1996, 1997) and Manchester United (2008, 2009) have all returned to the UEFA Champions League final as holders only to lose.

• Real Madrid then made it three wins in a row in 2017/18, becoming the fourth club to win three or more successive titles in European Cup history, and the first to do it twice.

• Only two teams have ever won the UEFA Champions League on home soil: Borussia Dortmund (1997, final in Munich) and Juventus (1996, final in Rome), while Manchester United lost the 2011 final in London and 12 months later Bayern were beaten in the showpiece in their own stadium, the Fußball Arena München.

Group stage
• Barcelona have finished as group winners on 20 occasions, four more than Real Madrid and five more than Bayern München and Manchester United. Barça also hold the record for the most unbeaten group stage campaigns with 12, four more than Real Madrid.

• Bayern München (2 April 2013 to 27 November 2013) and Real Madrid (23 April 2014 to 18 February 2015) jointly hold the record for successive wins in the UEFA Champions League proper with ten. Bayern surpassed the previous mark of nine, set by Barcelona between 18 September 2002 and 18 February 2003.

• Six teams have recorded six successive victories in a UEFA Champions League group stage: Milan (1992/93), Paris Saint-Germain (1994/95), Spartak Moskva (1995/96), Barcelona (2002/03, first group stage) and Real Madrid (2011/12 and 2014/15).

• Twenty-one teams have gone through a UEFA Champions League group stage without picking up a single point, most recently AEK Athens in 2018/19.

• In 2017/18, Paris Saint-Germain set a new group stage record by scoring 25 goals, with Liverpool (23) also eclipsing the old mark of 21 set by Borussia Dortmund in 2016/17. Manchester United (1998/99), Barcelona (2011/12, 2016/17) and Real Madrid (2013/14) all managed 20.

• Only Deportivo La Coruña (2004/05), Maccabi Haifa (2009/10) and Dinamo Zagreb (2016/17) have failed to score in a group stage.

• BATE Borisov conceded 24 goals in 2014/15, a new group stage record which was matched by Legia Warszawa in 2016/17. The previous mark, 22, was held by Dinamo Zagreb (2011/12) and Nordsjælland (2012/13); Malmö shipped 21 in 2015/16.

• No team has ever gone through a UEFA Champions League group stage without conceding a goal. Milan (1992/93), Ajax (1995/96), Juventus (1996/97 and 2004/05), Chelsea (2005/06), Liverpool (2005/06), Villarreal (2005/06), Manchester United (2010/11), Monaco (2014/15), Paris Saint-Germain (2015/16) and Barcelona (2017/18) all let in just one.

• Matchday six of the 2013/14 marked FCSB's 23rd successive game in the competition without a victory, surpassing the previous record of 22 set by Spartak Moskva between December 2000 and November 2006.

• Anderlecht hold the unwanted record for successive defeats in the competition, group stage to final, having lost 12 in a row between December 2003 and November 2005. Dinamo Zagreb are next with 11 consecutive losses on two occasions, from September 2011 to November 2012 and ongoing since September 2015.

• The lowest total for a team qualifying from the group stage is six points: Zenit in 2013/14 and Roma in 2015/16. Since three points for a win was introduced in 1995/96, nine teams have made it through with seven points: Legia Warszawa (1995/96), Dynamo Kyiv (1999/2000), Liverpool (2001/02, second group stage), in 2002/03 Lokomotiv Moskva (first group stage) and eventual finalists Juventus (second group stage), Rangers and Werder Bremen (2005/06), Galatasaray (2013/14) and Basel (2014/15).

• Napoli failed to qualify from their group with 12 points in 2013/14, the highest total of any team not to reach the next stage when the top two in each section progressed. Dynamo Kyiv (1999/2000, second group stage), Borussia Dortmund (2002/03, both second group stage), PSV Eindhoven (2003/04), Olympiacos and Dynamo Kyiv (both 2004/05), Werder Bremen (2006/07), Manchester City (2011/12), Chelsea and Cluj (both 2012/13), Benfica (2013/14) and Porto (2015/16) all missed out with ten points.

Goalscoring records
• Lionel Messi became the first player to score five goals in a match in Barcelona's 7-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen on 7 March 2012, a feat matched by Shakhtar Donetsk's Luiz Adriano at BATE Borisov on 21 October 2014. Eleven more players, also including Messi, have scored four times in a game, most recently Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid on matchday six in 2015/16.

• Cristiano Ronaldo set a new record for a UEFA Champions League group stage with 11 goals in 2015/16, eclipsing his own mark of nine in 2013/14, which Luiz Adriano matched in 2014/15 and Ronaldo himself equalled in 2017/18. Lionel Messi got ten goals in 2016/17; Zlatan Ibrahimović (2013/14), Ruud van Nistelrooy (2004/05), Filippo Inzaghi, Hernán Crespo (both 2002/03) and Robert Lewandowski (2018/19) managed eight.

• Messi's hat-trick against PSV Eindhoven on matchday one of the 2018/19 competition was his eighth in the competition, a mark Ronaldo matched against Atlético Madrid in that season's round of 16 second leg.

Oldest and youngest players
• Lazio goalkeeper Marco Ballotta is the oldest player to compete in the UEFA Champions League having featured against Real Madrid on matchday six in 2007/08 aged 43 years and 252 days. Alessandro Costacurta is the oldest outfield player; the Milan defender was 40 years and 211 days when he played against AEK Athens in 2006/07.

• Francesco Totti is the oldest player to score in the competition, aged 38 years and 59 days, in Roma's 1-1 draw at CSKA Moskva on 25 November 2014. Ryan Giggs (37 years 290 days) was the previous record holder.

• Celestine Babayaro is the youngest player to have appeared; he was 16 years and 87 days when he started for Anderlecht against Steaua Bucureşti on 23 November 1994. He was sent off in the 37th minute.

• Peter Ofori-Quaye is the youngest player to have scored in the UEFA Champions League, aged 17 years and 195 days. He found the net in Olympiacos's 5-1 defeat at Rosenborg on 1 October 1997.

Olympiacos FC
Formed: 1925
Nickname: Erythrolefki (Red and Whites), Thrylos (Legend)

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• None

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
League title: 44 (2017)
Greek Cup: 27 (2015)

Ten-year European record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)
2018/19: UEFA Europa League round of 32
2017/18: group stage
2016/17: UEFA Europa League round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League third qualifying round)
2015/16: UEFA Europa League round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)
2014/15: UEFA Europa League round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)
2013/14: round of 16
2012/13: UEFA Europa League round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)
2011/12: UEFA Europa League round of 16 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)
2010/11: UEFA Europa League third qualifying round
2009/10: round of 16

Records
UEFA club competition
• Biggest home win
6-1: Olympiacos v Besa
22/07/10, UEFA Europa League second qualifying round second leg
5-0 twice, most recently v Nordsjælland
02/10/08, UEFA Cup first round second leg

• Biggest away win
0-5: Besa v Olympiacos
15/07/10, UEFA Europa League second qualifying round first leg

• Heaviest home defeat
0-4: Olympiacos v Hamburg
03/11/82, European Champion Clubs' Cup second round second leg

• Heaviest away defeat
7-0: Juventus v Olympiacos
10/12/03, UEFA Champions League group stage

UEFA Champions League (group stage to final only)
• Biggest home win
6-2: Olympiacos v Bayer Leverkusen
19/09/02, first group stage

• Biggest away win
0-3: Anderlecht v Olympiacos
02/10/13, group stage

• Heaviest home defeat
1-4: Olympiacos v Lyon
01/11/05, group stage
0-3 twice, most recently v Arsenal
09/12/15, group stage

• Heaviest away defeat
7-0: Juventus v Olympiacos (see above)

Tottenham Hotspur FC
Formed: 1882
Nickname: Spurs

UEFA club competition honours (runners-up in brackets)
• UEFA Champions League: (2019)
• UEFA Cup (2): 1972, (1974), 1984
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1963

Domestic honours (most recent triumph in brackets)
League title: 2 (1961)
FA Cup: 8 (1991)
League Cup: 4 (2008)

Ten-year record (UEFA Champions League unless indicated otherwise)

2017/18: round of 16
2016/17: UEFA Europa League round of 32 (having transferred from UEFA Champions League group stage)
2015/16: UEFA Europa League round of 16
2014/15: UEFA Europa League round of 32
2013/14: UEFA Europa League round of 16
2012/13: UEFA Europa League quarter-finals
2011/12: UEFA Europa League group stage
2010/11: quarter-finals
2009/10: did not take part in UEFA club competition

Records
UEFA club competition
• Biggest home win
9-0: Tottenham v Keflavík
28/09/71, UEFA Cup first round second leg

• Biggest away win
0-6: Drogheda v Tottenham
14/09/83, UEFA Cup first round first leg

• Heaviest home defeat
2-4: Tottenham v Barcelona
03/10/18, UEFA Champions League group stage
1-3: Tottenham v Benfica
13/03/14, UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg
0-2: Tottenham v Luzern
25/06/95, UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage
Tottenham also lost 0-2 to Liverpool in the 2019 UEFA Champions League final as the designated home team

• Heaviest away defeat
8-0: Köln v Tottenham
22/07/95, UEFA Intertoto Cup group stage

UEFA Champions League (group stage to final)
• Biggest home win
4-1: Tottenham v Twente
29/09/10, group stage
3-0 three times, most recently v Borussia Dortmund
13/02/19, round of 16 first leg

• Biggest away win
0-3: APOEL v Tottenham
26/09/17, group stage

• Heaviest home defeat
2-4: Tottenham v Barcelona (see above)
Tottenham lost 0-2 to Liverpool in the 2019 final

• Heaviest away defeat
4-0: Real Madrid v Tottenham
05/04/11, quarter-final first leg