Aston Villa hosts Olympiacos of Greece in the first leg of their Europa Conference League tie at Villa Park this Thursday night.
Unai Emery’s side came through a penalty shootout to defeat LOSC in the last eight. The Greeks also needed penalties to see off Fenerbahçe and book their place in the last four.
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⏩ Quick betting tips for Aston Villa vs Olympiacos
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos odds
Here are the latest match odds for Aston Villa vs Olympiacos from our favourite football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
Aston Villa F.C. vs Olympiacos F.C. betting preview
Aston Villa are having a season that looks set to live long in the memory.
They are on course to finish in the top four of the Premier League for the first time since 1996. And they are also favourites to win their first major European trophy in over 40 years, if you discount the Intertoto Cups they won in 2001 and shared in 2008.
In the betting to win the 2023/24 Europa Conference League, Villa are even-money favourites. Fiorentina are 15/8, Club Brugge 13/2, and Olympiacos are 9/1.
In the betting to win the tie against Olympiacos, Villa are the favourites to progress to the final at 1/3. The Greeks are 9/4 to cause a shock.
Playing a large part in the renaissance of the Midlands club is the not-so-secret weapon otherwise known as Unai Emery.
The Spaniard has won the UEFA Europa League four times with a combination of Sevilla (three) and Villarreal (one).
He also guided Arsenal to the final in 2019. However, he couldn’t maintain his 100% record, as the Premier League club lost 4-1 to Chelsea.
Okay, Emery has fallen short in the Champions League. But given his Europa League record, it’s safe to say he shouldn’t have any problems in UEFA’s third club championship.
All of which spells bad news for Olympiacos.
The Piraeus-based club is the most successful team in the history of the Greek Super League, with a record 47 titles.
This season, they are involved in a four-way battle with AEK Athens, PAOK and Panathinaikos in the race for the league title.
As things stand, José Luis Mendilibar’s team sit fourth in that particular fight. They are the in-form team, though, having won five of their last six domestically.
In Europe, this is the furthest that Olympiacos have ever gotten in a UEFA competition.
Previous bests were the quarter-final of the 1998/99 Champions League and the last eight of the now defunct Cup-Winners Cup in the 1992/93 season.
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos key stats
- Aston Villa are fourth in the English Premier League with 67 points from 35 matches.
- Villa needs to win all of their three remaining Premier League games to secure Champions League football next season.
- In their last five in all competitions, Villa has won three, drawn one and lost one.
- The loss was a 2-1 defeat to LOSC on the road. In the penalty shootout, Villa came through with a 4-3 win.
- Olympiacos sits fourth in the Greek Super League with 70 points from 33 games.
- In their last five fixtures in all competitions, Olympiacos have won three, drawn one and lost one.
- The defeat was 1-0 away to Fenerbahçe in the 2nd leg of their Conference League quarter-final. The Greeks won the resulting penalty shootout 3-2.
- Villa are without influential keeper Emiliano Martinez for the 1st leg. The Argentine is suspended but would likely have missed out anyway due to injury.
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos best bets
Find our best bets for Aston Villa vs Olympiacos below. All our odds for the bets are from the best football betting sportsbooks, as per our expert reviews. Odds in our football betting tips are also subject to change.
Both teams to score
Villa struggle to keep clean sheets. In their last ten in all competitions, they’ve conceded in seven. In the Premier League, they’ve conceded in all but two of their previous 12.
Even when they are seemingly in control of a match, they can’t keep the opposition out.
We saw it in the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Lille, where they conceded after 84 minutes.
It happened again in the 2-2 draw with Chelsea last Saturday after Villa were 2-0 up at halftime and totally in control of the match.
⚽ Back both teams to score at 5/6 with Spreadex ⚽
Ollie Watkins to score
Ollie Watkins is just one goal away from hitting the 20 mark in the Premier League for the first time in his career.
In the recent 2-2 draw with Chelsea, Watkins looked a bit edgy in front of goal.
With the 20-goal milestone there for the taking late on, the striker blazed a great chance to win the game over the bar. It was the sort of chance he has been putting away with his eyes shut this season.
Watkins will have that performance out of his system by now, and we are backing him to get back on the scoresheet against Olympiacos.
⚽ Back Ollie Watkins to score anytime at 11/10 with bet365 ⚽
Alexandros Paschalakis 5+ Saves
Villa registered nine shots, with four on target against Chelsea last weekend.
But the point is, they didn’t even turn up for the second half. It was all Chelsea.
Against a far inferior Olympiacos team, we expect Villa to create a lot more chances and test Alexandros Paschalakis between the sticks.
⚽ Back Alexandros Paschalakis to make 5+ saves at 11/8 with bet365 ⚽
How to watch Aston Villa vs Olympiacos
- Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England
- Time: 20:00 BST on Thursday, May 2nd
- Where to watch: TNT Sports 1
About the author
Dean Etheridge
Dean is a freelance sports betting writer and website owner who specialises in football and cricket. With many years of experience writing for his own publications and others, Dean can turn his hand to a wide variety of sports, using his extensive knowledge and sense of humour to provide expert content with a totally different perspective. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge) and Twitter (@etheridge_dean).
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