UEFA Champions League

[Don Giovanni]

Meriah has all the qualities you would expect for him to perform well, but he makes a lot of bad mistakes. It's hard to see him lasting unless he really steps it up and shows he can be trusted, otherwise he's a liability Olympiacos can't afford. He has to do better. No one can be happy with his performances to date.

Guilherme is good, but his positioning can be problematic and at times he doesn't communicate enough. I think Olympiacos might be able to find better, but they can do a lot worse too.

For me, Semedo, Sa, and Tsimikas are consistently great performers. With those three, you know they can deliver game in, game out. And I would agree the team is different when Valbuena or Fortounis play, although the team is better off without Benzia.

[Kallithea]

Hasn’t Benzia played less than 100 minutes of football this season. It’s a bit early to be writing him off in my opinion.

[Don Giovanni]

Oly take on Omonia tonight. I can't remember the last time a Cypriot team won against Greek opposition in the UCL. Maybe Anorthosis against Panathinaikos in 2008?

In any case, Norwegian Henning Berg, an EPL winner with Blackburn and Manchester United, is Omonia's manager. The only player of theirs I'm familiar with is Mavrias, who had scored against Olympiacos many moons ago when he was a young upstart at Panathinaikos.

[Amorgos]

0-0, not much happening and we are in the 55th minute...

[Don Giovanni]

They got a penalty and now lead, but this is all one-way traffic. Olympiaco should have little difficulty progressing to the group stages.

[Amorgos]

A second goal would be a lot more soothing

[Don Giovanni]

El-Arabi should have scored four goals this half alone. The last effort at least required an excellent save and it looks like he's energized to put another way, but on two earlier chances he took things too easy and didn't try hard enough. He has to do better and kill this tie.

[Amorgos]

Omonia keeper with some huge saves

[Amorgos]

2-0! El Arabi, great goal!

[Reaper]

Stunner and on his weaker foot.

[Don Giovanni]

It was a great goal. I think he was half asleep for much of the game and then he woke up towards the last 25 minutes when he realized he was letting chances slip away and Oly needed that second goal to kill the tie. Henning Berg's despair at the end said it all. Omonia had a lifeline if the game stayed at 1-0, but el-Arabi's goal killed it.

I thought Valbuena once again was very good. He's the player Ninis should have become. Randelovic also looked good out there, but not spectacular. I think if the fans were there, Olympiacos would have had a better performance to spur the team on to actually perform. All the players, except for Valbuena, took things too easy.

[Don Giovanni]

Not much doing in the return leg, but Omonia are at least trying this second half. They just had a shot that drew a save from Sa, the first all game. Bethuac, a Frenchmen in the mold of Valbuena, had a good free-kick sail a bit too high. Semedo looked very brave in the wall that time. He looks like the best player on the pitch today. Olympiacos' midfield have been poor in possession. Too many high balls or balls that fall too short of the intended target, leaving them looking very flat in the final third.

[Don Giovanni]

The game ended in draw. Omonia's keeper, Fabiano, had an excellent game and was for me MOTD. Semedo was for me the best player out there. El-Arabi and Randelovic shared a golden opportunity, but neither seemed to expect the ball and made too little of the chance handed to them.

Martins has to do something to wake his players up. Too often Olympiacos go into games sleepwalking.

[Reaper]

Was amazed how slow Martins was the subs. 75, 90and 90.

Also Hassan deserved a run.

[Don Giovanni]

The draw has been announced:

Group C: Porto, Manchester City, Olympiacos, Marseille

City should win the group, but Olympiacos could pip Porto and Marseille for second I think.