Olympiacos Football Formation

Starting Lineup

Ortega (Popovic) · Rodinei (Maffeo, Saliakas) · Retsos (Smajlovic) · Pirola (Carmo) · Rafael Guerreiro (Bruno) · Ceballos,Hezze (Garcia, Scipioni) · Puerta (Mouzakitis) · Gelson Martins (Roca) · Sancho (Jota Silva) · Fortounis (Sa, Chiquinho) · El Kaabi (Mauro Icardi)

Olympiacos relies on a compact mid-block and quick transitions, operating primarily within a 4-5-1 formation. This lineup is built to control the center of the pitch and deny space to the opponent in the middle third. By saturating the central areas, the team aims to win the ball back and move it forward rapidly to exploit gaps in the opposition defense.

Ortega stands between the posts to organize the defensive unit. The back line works as a flat back four, with Rodinei and Rafael Guerreiro acting as full backs to provide width. Pirola and Retsos operate as the central defenders, tasked to hold the line and win the header during defensive set pieces. The unit focuses on staying tight together to prevent through balls, forcing the opposition to play wide where they can be squeezed.

The midfield operates as a dense five-man block designed to congest the passing lanes. Puerta and Hezze form a double pivot to shield the defense, with Hezze protecting the space in front of the center-backs. Sancho and Gelson Martins play as the two central midfielders, looking to carry the ball forward and connect the defensive unit to the attack. Fortounis plays as the central playmaker, tasked to receive the ball between the lines and find ways to split the defense with a through ball.

In the attacking phase, El Kaabi acts as a lone striker, serving as a focal point to hold up the ball and wait for support. He works to pin the last defender to create space for the midfielders to arrive late into the box. The attackers and midfielders press from the front to force a long ball from the opponent, allowing the defense to reset. When the ball is won, the team looks to hit in behind on the transition, using the movement of the wide midfielders to stretch the defense.

Olympiacos gains a massive advantage from the numerical superiority in midfield, making it very difficult for opponents to play through the center. The coordination of the five midfielders allows the team to maintain compactness when defending deep. This setup also creates opportunities to catch opponents out of position by breaking quickly once the ball is intercepted in the middle third.

This 4-5-1 formation is built to frustrate teams that prefer heavy possession by sitting deep and clogging the middle. It is best suited for matches where the team needs to defend a lead or play against a technically superior side.