Leon Bailey Left Out by Olympiacos From Squad Travelling to Marseille

Olympiacos named their 22-man squad for the UEFA Europa League clash against Marseille. The notable absentee from the list was new signing Leon Bailey, who has been dealing with injury issues during his time at Aston Villa and since his arrival at Piraeus. 

The Jamaican international got minutes in the matches against OFI Crete and the Europa League opener versus Jagiellonia Bialystok. However, he was left on the bench against Levadiakos (the last game before the international break) and the Derby of the Eternal Enemies against Panathinaikos. Bailey took part in the final training session ahead of the trip to France, but at the end of the session at Rentis, he felt muscle discomfort (as per Sport24), and therefore he did not make the flight. 

Club president Evangelos Marinakis brought Bailey in from Aston Villa to add depth on the wing, but he has yet to make a significant impact. Initially, the Jamaican National Team called him up for their international break fixtures, but he withdrew and did not travel with the squad to focus on training with head coach Imanol Alguacil at Olympiacos. 

Meanwhile, Olympiacos are set to travel to Marseille with the likes of Kostas Fortounis, Gelson Martins, Jota Silva and Roman Yaremchuk. Armando Gonzalez was rested during the Panathinaikos match and he is expected to start the game upfront as the sole striker since Marius is not registered on the European list. 

Bailey's absence changes Alguacil's plans for the attacking department, as providing Fortounis with a start will shift the team to a much more hold-up play tactic upfront rather than hitting the opponent on a fast counter. The Greek international can alter the course of the attack with his passing abilities and positioning to unlock the Marseille defence, but Gonzalez will have to work hard to open up areas for Fortounis to exploit or make him the opportunities. 

This is also a chance for youth academy man Christos Filis to potentially impress the coach. While his odds of starting the match or even getting minutes later on look slim, he is there in the squad to provide Alguacil with an entirely different profile to fast-forward the attack. 

A victory over Marseille will change the momentum of this Olympiacos team, especially after their wins over Jagiellonia and Panathinaikos in the derby. Alguacil will hope to come away with the three points from France unscathed while playing confidently.