Europa Conference League: Aston Villa Vs Olympiacos Predictions and Betting Tips (02/05/2024)

On Thursday at Villa Park, Aston Villa will attempt to advance closer to the Conference League final by hosting Olympiacos. Although the Villans are heavy favorites to win the first leg, they must demonstrate their worth on the field. Despite hobbling off with an injury in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea, midfielder Youri Tielemans should be fine for the match, while controversial goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is suspended.

In contrast, the Thrylos are not considered excellent travellers, which is likely the most compelling argument for a home victory. Complicating matters further for the visiting team are the suspensions of Andreas Ndoj and Georgios Masouras. Olympiacos defender Panagiotis Retsos has returned to the starting lineup following his suspension against Fenerbahce. Notably, this is the first encounter between the two teams in European competitions.

Head To Head And Previous Matches

At Villa Park, Olympiacos face Aston Villa in the first leg of their inaugural UEFA Conference League semi-final encounter in Birmingham. In their last two decades of competition with English teams, the Greeks have suffered sixteen defeats. Can they improve their abhorrent record and advance to the European competition's championship match?

This season, Aston Villa have won all six of their home games in the Conference League. Olympiacos have suffered defeats in sixteen of their last twenty matches against English opponents. Ollie Watkins leads the Villans in scoring in both the Premier League and Conference League 

Aston Villa emerged victorious in a dramatic penalty shootout earlier this month in France. They eliminated Lille, a Ligue 1 club, in extra time and penalties by scoring a late goal. The Lions accumulated four points in their subsequent two Premier League contests against Chelsea and Bournemouth. Saturday evening, they were the beneficiaries of a 2-2 draw with Chelsea.

On Sunday at home, Olympiacos maintained their lead in the domestic league standings with a 4-1 victory over Lamia. They trail leaders AEK Athens by five points and have a game in hand. In the Conference League quarterfinals, the Greek club was also eliminated by Fenerbahce via penalties.

Our Predictions

Aston Villa to win

So far in their inaugural European campaign since the 2008-09 season, Aston Villa has performed admirably, advancing to the Europa Conference League semi-finals. On Thursday, they will face Olympiacos in the first leg of that encounter.

The Villans will attempt to capitalize on their home-field advantage and gain the upper hand in Greece; their performance thus far in this competition indicates they ought to succeed. This season, Unai Emery's squad has triumphed in all six of their Europa Conference League home games, with a 4-0 rout of Ajax serving as the standout result.

They have defeated title-contending Arsenal and Manchester City at Villa Park this season and are unblemished in their last six home contests, indicating they should be too formidable for Olympiacos on Thursday. 

Over 2.5 goals

Additionally, Villa's squad's superior calibre is in their favour compared to their visitors. The Olympaicos' star player, Ollie Watkins, has scored 19 Premier League goals this season, more than any other player in the considerably less competitive Greek Super League. Furthermore, the supporting cast has also been outstanding recently.

Recently, John McGinn, Leon Bailey, and Morgan Rogers have all contributed with goals; after scoring in his last two games, the latter appears to be an attractive option for a goalscorer.

With ten goals scored in their last four home contests, the Villains acan amassa respectable total. Supporting the over with a home victory on Thursday could be profitable, given that the same wager has been successful in three of Olympiacos' last four European games, and eleven of Villa's last twelve home games have gone over 2.5 goals.