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Olympiacos FC owner and President Evangelis Marinakis on Friday emphasized that the popular Greek club’s ambition is none other than to win the UEFA Europa League, expressing confidence in the squad and coach Jose Luis Mendilibar.

His statements came shortly after Friday’s league phase draw, held during an event in Monaco.

Olympiacos learned its eight opponents for the 2026-27 Europa League, with the Reds drawn against Milan, Marseille, Sparta Praha, Rennes, Jagiellonia, Celje, Hoffenheim and Torreense.

“This is the big goal and we’re not hiding it,” Marinakis said, stressing that winning the Europa League has been an ambition since he took over Olympiacos, rather than one that emerged only after the Piraeus side won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024.

“Today, not many people believe it, but when everyone believes it, we will achieve it,” he added.

Marinakis also referred to Olympiacos’ ongoing activity in terms of player transfers, while also reiterating his backing for Mendilibar, saying the Spanish coach “has our support, he supports us and he knows what he has to do” to improve the team and bring it to the required competitive level.

Asked about the club’s standing European ambitions, Marinakis said Olympiacos had the experience to compete at the highest level and would strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes.

“We have the experience and, by the end of the transfer window, we will acquire what the team is missing at the moment. Our dream is to go all the way in the Europa (League),” he said.

“We have players with experience, while Mendilibar has done it both in the Europa and the Conference (leagues). History repeats itself, so why not?”

Transfers

Marinakis said the status of Greek football often makes it difficult for domestic clubs to attract highly rated young players early in the transfer window.

“What everyone in Greece has to understand is that Greek football is considered, and in reality is in the lower positions of European rankings,” he said.

“Very good young players do not have Greece as their first choice. There is a lot of discussion by people who have no idea how a transfer works…There’s no high-quality young player who, at the beginning of the transfer window, wants to come and play in Greece. That’s why we have to wait until the final days of the transfer window.”

Marinakis noted that Olympiacos has had an advantage because of his ownership of Nottingham Forest, adding that players who aspire to play in England may see Greece as a steppingstone.

“We have an advantage in that we own Nottingham. Many players dream of playing in England and think that if they perform well, they can make that step, which helps us with many players,” Marinakis said.

“We exceed expectations every day. Panathinaikos and AEK are also trying; it’s not easy.”

He cited the case of Racing de Santander star Gustavo Puerta, saying Olympiacos had paid his release clause but that the player wanted to join Benfica instead.

“We paid Puerta’s release clause and he is not coming. He wants to go to Benfica. What else can you do?”

On Olympiacos’ Style of Play

Marinakis said Olympiacos must return to an aggressive, pressing-based style of football.

“Olympiacos must play attacking football and press continuously. When we won the Conference (League), pressing was the basic ingredient of our success…Olympiacos isn’t a team that should play with long balls lobbed from the goalkeeper and the defenders, as we saw last season. We have to play differently, and we have the players to play differently. Mendilibar knows how to do it. We trust him, we support him and we’ll move forward united to win the championship and the Europa League.”

“When we all believe it, we will do it. I have been saying this since 2010. Others laughed, then more people started to believe it. I also told the boys in the Youth League that when you beat teams by playing good football, you can do it.”

Olympiacos’ Europa League opponents at home will be Milan, Sparta Praha, Jagiellonia and Hoffenheim. The team’s away matches will be against Marseille, Rennes, Celje and Torreense.