Inside WORLD: Football November 03, 2014 Juventus hosts Olympiakos in Champions League

MILAN (AP) — Juventus needs a win to stay in touch with the top two teams in Group A of the Champions League.

Visiting Olympiakos has the same amount of points as Atletico Madrid, with Juventus three points behind. Atletico, last year's runner-up, visits Malmo, which earned its only points by beating Olympiakos the last time it played at home in the competition.

But the Swedish team lost in Madrid 5-0. Here are some things to know about Tuesday's games:

PIRLO TO THE RESCUE

Andrea Pirlo is coming into form just as Juventus needs him the most.

The midfielder missed the first month of the season with a bruised hip after getting injured in a preseason match.

Pirlo scored his first goal of the season on Saturday with a free kick which helped Juventus to a 2-0 win at Empoli and sent the three-time defending champions three points clear at the top of the Serie A standings.

"I'm improving, I'm working hard during the week and I feel better every match," Pirlo said. "(The win) was an important sign, mainly for ourselves, that enables us to prepare as best we can for Tuesday's game. It's like a final and we must put in a great performance because only one result will do."

NO COMPLEX FOR JUVE

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has no problem with the Champions League.

The Italian side is aiming for a fourth straight Serie A title this season and leads league, three points clear of Roma. However, in Europe it is a different story and Allegri knows anything but a win would leave Juventus on the verge of elimination from the group stage for the second straight season.

"To improve we have to stay calm and not let ourselves be influenced by what people say," Allegri said. "There's no European complex here. We do, however, have just three points and we need to put that right.

"It's 90 minutes in which we are playing to go through. Winning is a must tomorrow."

AERIAL ATLETICO

Atletico Madrid has been honing its finishing skills as it rises to second-place in the Spanish league.

Left winger Antoine Griezmann scored his first two goals this season to give coach Diego Simeone's squad a 4-2 win over Cordoba.

For his second, Griezmann jumped for a header to turn in Juanfran Torres' cross at the near post.

Atletico has scored 12 of its 19 league goals with headers

TROUBLE AT HOME?

Olympiakos coach Michel Gonzalez denies holding back on domestic games to seek an advantage against Juventus on Tuesday.

The Greek team has already pulled off surprise home wins over the Italian champions and 2014 Champions League finalist Atletico Madrid to share first place with the Spanish side in Group A. But the team slipped five points behind leader PAOK in the domestic league after being held 0-0 by 10-man Asteras.

"We didn't hold anything back. We don't have that luxury," Gonzalez said. "We view each game as our most important.

"Our problem isn't how to deal with defensive opponents, but our finishing. We can get through the lines of the opposing team. But then we deliver bad crosses and bad shots on goal."

Olympiakos travels to Turin with a full squad after resting Champions League standout Alejandro Dominguez and Dutch striker Ibrahim Afellay over the weekend.

OLSEN BACK

Malmo goalkeeper Robin Olsen is likely to play against Atletico Madrid despite coming off with a thigh injury in the Swedish team's final league match of the season on Saturday.

Team doctors say they count on Olsen starting the game on Tuesday even if he hasn't fully recovered.

The Danish goalkeeper has been crucial to Malmo's strong performance at home in qualifying matches and the 2-0 group win over Olympiakos on Oct. 1. But like the rest of the team, his confidence took a beating in Madrid two weeks ago when Atletico trounced Malmo 5-0 with five second-half goals.