No matter what goes down this Thursday, José Luis Mendilibar and Olympiacos have every reason to crack a smile about how their season is wrapping up.
Just a few weeks back, fans were feeling pretty blue, just counting down the days until the season's end. But here we are, in the middle of April, and they're still watching their team tear it up in Europe.
Plus, the title race in Greece is still on, though some might think just securing a spot in next season's European competitions is a more realistic goal than clinching the title itself.
Let's talk about that epic comeback – Olympiacos pulled off the biggest turnaround in their 99-year history, locking in a spot in the Conference League quarterfinals!
Picture this: They nailed it in extra time with a jaw-dropping 6-1 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Serbia, flipping the script on that 4-1 deficit from the first leg. Talk about a comeback for the ages!
Now, in the first leg of the quarterfinals, they went up against Fenerbahçe. They had a solid 3-0 lead, but it seems like they took their foot off the gas a bit, and the match ended up a close 3-2. Even though they snagged the win, it felt like the Red-and-Whites were chilling out a bit too much.
Olympiacos and Mendilibar have reasons to be excited for next season
Fast forward to this Thursday – they're battling it out for a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinals in the second leg of the quarterfinals. It's crunch time, and you know they're going to leave it all out on the pitch.
And hey, Olympiacos is showing some serious love to José Luis Mendilibar. They're so stoked with what he's been doing that they've decided to lock him in with a contract extension. The Spanish coach is sticking around with the Greek squad until 2025.
Since taking over back in February, Mendilibar has been steering the Piraeus team in the right direction, and the powers-that-be are keen to keep that momentum going.
So, let's raise a toast to Mendilibar and his crew as they keep pushing forward in style!