OFI v Bayer Leverkusen: Europa League preview, predicted line-ups & team news

Bayer Leverkusen go to Crete on Thursday with a perfect record and the sort of attacking numbers that make hosts nervous. They have won both league-phase games, scoring 6 and conceding none, and sit second in the table on 6 points with a goal difference of +6.

OFI are 18th on 3 points after two matches, a position that would still put them in the play-off places. This is the third of eight league-phase rounds, so neither side is under elimination pressure yet. For OFI it is a chance to show that their start was not a fluke. For Leverkusen it is a chance to stay in touch with the top eight.

OFI beat Hoffenheim 2-0 at home in September, then lost 2-1 away to Rennes on 15 October. Before that they had come through qualifying by beating CSKA Sofia 3-0 at home and 2-0 away. Across their four European games they have scored 8 and conceded 2, with three clean sheets. A 4-3 defeat at PS Kalamata in the Greek league followed the Rennes game.

Leverkusen opened with a 2-0 home win over Celje, then thrashed Lech Poznan 4-0 away on 15 October. They averaged 19.5 shots and 3.57 expected goals per game across those two matches. On Sunday they beat Freiburg 2-1 in the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen face a busy run of Bundesliga and European fixtures, and with eight players listed as missing this fixture the visitors have less room to rotate than usual. Expect the spine of the side that beat Freiburg to start.

OFI have used a 3-4-3 in all four of their European games. They have averaged just 38.8% possession and conceded 8 corners per game, so they are happy to defend deep and break. A Greek league defeat on Sunday gives the hosts little reason to hold anything back for this one.

**OFI: Nikolaou, Bouchalakis, Cantalapiedra, Nuss

Bayer Leverkusen: Flekken; Quansah, Tapsoba, Medina, Maza

The visitors name a settled side from the Freiburg game. OFI could change personnel after the weekend defeat.

The game kicks off at 17:45 BST on Thursday 22 October at the Pankritio Stadium and is shown on TNT Sports where selected. A Yahoo Sports preview also lists the match as live on TNT Sports at 17:45. This is a single league-phase match, so there is no second leg. If level after 90 minutes, the match ends as a draw, as there is no extra time or penalty shootout in the league phase.