Dusan Bajevic's chances of engineering a job-saving victory over Newcastle in Athens were improved last night as it emerged that Rivaldo is expected to recover from injury in time to spearhead Olympiacos' Uefa Cup challenge against the Magpies.
The former Fifa World Footballer of the Year missed Sunday's disappointing draw at PAOK Salonika - the Brazilian remained in the capital when his team-mates travelled to Northern Greece - as the result of a hamstring problem.
But with reports in Athens suggesting that his omission was a precaution designed to enable him to start against United on Thursday evening, Rivaldo's chances of facing Graeme Souness' side seemed to be improving last night.
Although one of the most-decorated players of the modern era has endured a troubled relationship with Bosnia-born Serb coach Bajevic since joining Olympiacos last summer, his imminent return could ironically save the under-pressure coach from the sack.
The former Yugoslav international saw Panathinaikos draw level with their city rivals at the weekend as a result of their failure to beat PAOK and sources in Greece insist an unsatisfactory result against Newcastle could seal his fate ahead of the forthcoming league encounter with AEK Athens.
Olympiacos' run of seven-successive domestic titles was ended by Panathinaikos last season and although Bajevic is in his first year at the Georgis Karaiskaki Stadium, chairman Socrates Kokkalis is already understood to be considering ending the association.
The 32-time league champions have won just one of their last four fixtures and lead AEK by just a single point. At the weekend the Bosnian-born Serb Bajevic stormed out of a Press conference.
Having made such a positive start to his tenure - Olympiacos collected 10 points in the Champions League and were knocked out of Europe's premier competition only by Steven Gerrard's injury-time winner at Anfield - Bajevic has been disturbed by the reaction to his side's recent fortunes.
A Uefa Cup triumph against Sochaux secured a place in the Uefa Cup's last 16. And a win over in-form Newcastle on a night when Olympiacos will celebrate the club's 80th birthday would go a long way to easing the pressure. Rivaldo is understood to be determined to prove his fitness, but some important players will be missing. Stylianos Venetidis, Grigoris Georgatos and the former Newcastle winger Giorgos Giorgiadis are all on the long-term injured list. Defender Dimitrios Mavrogenidis is also struggling for fitness and is rated a major doubt.
