Olympiakos vs Aston Villa Match Analysis & Prediction
09/05/2024 10:00 pm
Seeking to overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit, Aston Villa make the trip to Piraeus to face Olympiacos in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday night.
The Lions lost 4-2 to the Greek counterparts at Villa Park last week and must win by at least a three-goal margin at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium if they wish to set up a final date with either Club Brugge or Fiorentina.
Olympiacos produced one of the most impressive and dogged displays of the campaign at Villa Park and were inspired to victory by hat-trick hero Ayoub El Kaabi, who put the Greek side two goals ahead inside the opening 29 minutes.
Goals from Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby either side of halftime restored parity for Villa, but El Kaabi completed his hat-trick just before the hour mark to put Olympiacos back in front, before Santiago Hezze added a fourth to seal a historic win in Birmingham – just their fourth European away win in their 20th visit to England.
Manager Jose Luis Mendilibar is potentially 90 minutes away from making history with Olympiacos, who are bidding to become just the second Greek team after Panathinaikos in 1970-71 to reach a major UEFA competition final.
Olympiacos have not lost any of their last eight matches across all competitions and will be confident of finishing the job on Thursday, as they have prevailed in four of their last five European home games, scoring 12 goals in the process.
Four-time Europa League winner Unai Emery could not mastermind Villa to victory last week, and the Spaniard was once again left disappointed with his side’s performance just three days later when they lost 1-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League last weekend.
Villa missed the chance to strengthen their hold on fourth position in the Premier League table, but they are still in the driving seat to secure Champions League football for next season as they sit seven points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have a game in hand.
The prospect of overturning a two-goal deficit could prove challenging for Villa on Thursday considering that they have lost both of their previous two European ties in which they suffered a first-leg home defeat.
In addition, the Lions – who need to score at least twice on Thursday to level the scores on aggregate – have netted mo more than one goal in five of their last six away games across all competitions.
Olympiakos vs. Aston Villa Head to head
These two teams have only previously met on one occasion in the first leg of this tie, with Olympiacos winning 4-2 away from home.
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02/05/2024Aston Villa2Olympiakos4Europa Conference League
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09/05/2024OlympiakosN/AAston VillaN/AEuropean Conference League
Olympiakos Team News
Olympiacos trio Ruben Vezo, Gelson Martins and Nelson Abbey are all ineligible to play in the Europa Conference League.
Stevan Jovetic remains sidelines due to injury, but Andreas Ndoj and Georgios Masouras are available to return after serving suspensions last week.
Olympiakos's Last 5 Matches
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18/04/2024Fenerbahce1Olympiakos0 PEuropa Conference League
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21/04/2024Olympiakos2PAOK1Super League 1
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24/04/2024Aris1Olympiakos1Super League 1
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28/04/2024Olympiakos4Lamia1Super League 1
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02/05/2024Aston Villa2Olympiakos4Europa Conference League
Aston Villa Team News
Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia (all knee) and Jacob Ramsey (toe) are all nursing season-ending injuries.
Youri Tielemans (muscle), Alex Moreno (calf), Nicolo Zaniolo (back) and Emiliano Martinez (thigh) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Aston Villa's Last 5 Matches
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18/04/2024Lille2Aston Villa1 PEuropa Conference League
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21/04/2024Aston Villa3AFC Bournemouth1Premier League
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27/04/2024Aston Villa2Chelsea2Premier League
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02/05/2024Aston Villa2Olympiakos4Europa Conference League
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05/05/2024Brighton & Hove Albion1Aston Villa0Premier League
Olympiakos vs. Aston Villa: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
Double Chance: Aston Villa or X
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