Aston Villa vs Olympiakos: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

The Europa Conference League has reached the semi-final stage, with Aston Villa hosting Greek side Olympiakos in the first leg.

Date: 02/05/24

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Villa Park

Unai Emery has four European trophies to his name and will be hoping to add a fifth with Aston Villa. This is the first European campaign for the club since 2011, in which they participated in the Europa League. They look set to compete in the Champions League next season, but will want to end this one by lifting the trophy. Olympiakos are looking to win their first-ever major European Cup. Last season they were in the Europa League, but they finished bottom of their group.

To get to this stage, Villa had to get through the playoffs back in August, before topping their group with four wins. They were rewarded with knockout ties against Ajax and Lille, easing past the Dutch side and beating the latter on penalties. The visitors are in this competition after dropping down from the Europa League, following a third-place group finish. They advanced through the playoffs before eliminating Maccabi Tel Aviv and Fenerbache over two legs.

In six games, Olympiakos have scored 12 goals, whilst Villa have netted 19 throughout the campaign. The English side have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven games in all competitions, so goals for both teams should be likely. Ollie Watkins will be confident in adding to his tally of 26 goals on the season, though the likes of Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby will also provide a great threat. The hosts will have to look out for Ayoub El Kaabi and ex-Premier League player Daniel Podence.

This will be the first meeting between these two sides, though Olympiakos have a poor record against English teams. In 40 games against them, they have won just 11 times, but they will be hoping to improve that over the two legs against Villa.

Aston Villa

Villa have a number of season-ending injuries, but expect Alex Moreno to return early next month. However, this game comes too soon. Both Youri Tielemans and Emi Martinez were substituted at the weekend with injuries, so their availability is in doubt.

Olympiakos

Olympiakos should have a fully fit squad to choose from, with no new injury concerns.

Aston Villa

In their last five games, Aston Villa have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a great stretch for Villa as they have strengthened their place in the top four. Last time out they hosted Chelsea and squandered a two-goal lead as they drew 2-2. A Marc Cucurella own goal and Morgan Rogers strike had given them a comfortable advantage at the break, but the visitors fought back in the second half with goals from Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher. They were lucky not to lose at the death, as VAR ruled out a potential winner from Axel Disasi for a foul.

This followed a 3-1 win against Bournemouth. They had to come from behind after Dominic Solanke gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot. Goals from Rogers, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey turned it around. Their only defeat in this stretch came in the Europa Conference League, as French side Lille beat them 2-1 in the second leg, matching the score from the first leg. However, the English side prevailed 4-3 on penalties to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. They were close to elimination, down two goals with three minutes to go, but Matty Cash scored late on to keep them alive. It was the reverse in the first leg at Villa Park, as Ollie Watkins and John McGinn put the hosts 2-0 up, before Lille pulled one back.

Between these two legs was a huge 2-0 win against Arsenal at the Emirates. In what was a pivotal game in the race for both the title and top four, it was Unai Emery’s team who came out on top. Growing in confidence throughout the match, they finally were rewarded for their performance as Bailey opened the scoring with six minutes to go. The lead was doubled three minutes later, with a deft Watkins chip putting the game to bed.

The first game of this run was a thrilling 3-3 draw with Brentford. Watkins put Villa ahead against his former team, before Rogers doubled the advantage shortly after the restart. The Bees then scored three goals in nine minutes to turn the game on its head. They could not hold on though, as Watkins netted his second of the afternoon to ensure the points were shared.

Olympiakos

In their last five games, Olympiakos have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a good stretch for the Greek side, and they managed to secure progression in the Europa Conference League. The run started with the first of two legs against Turkish side Fenerbache, in which they prevailed 3-2 in the quarter-final. Kostas Fortounis put them ahead early, before Stevan Jovetic doubled the lead soon after. Chiquinho added a third to give them a comfortable advantage, but their opponents fought back with two goals to make it much closer heading into the next game. The second leg saw Fenerbache win 1-0, which is how it remained after extra-time. This sent the tie to penalties, with Olympiakos coming out on top 3-2 to advance.

They returned to league action with a 2-1 home win over PAOK. Their visitors edged possession, but it was Quini who put the hosts ahead in the first half. Gelson Martins made it two, before Marcos Antonio scored very late on. This preceded dropped points as they drew 1-1 with Aris away from home. Olympiakos were the superior team throughout but conceded the opener shortly after the restart. They were not behind for long as Ayoub El Kaabi equalised five minutes later, however they could not find a winner.

Last time out they faced Lamia at home. They were comfortable 4-1 winners, with Chiquinho, Fran Navarro, Daniel Podence and Sotiris Alexandropoulos all on the scoresheet.

Villa have enjoyed a great season so far, and we expect them to take one step closer to a European trophy with victory in the first leg. Olympiakos will give them trouble, but ultimately, they should edge it – Aston Villa 2-1 Olympiakos

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Aston Villa vs Olympiakos will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1.

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