Olympiacos vs Aston Villa predictions, odds and betting tips

One of Olympiacos or Aston Villa will reach the Europa Conference League final on Thursday.

Olympiacos vs Aston Villa odds

Find the latest match odds for Olympiacos vs Aston Villa. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.

⚡Quick Olympiacos vs Aston Villa betting tips

• Aston Villa to win - 5/6 with Sky Bet
• Over 2.5 goals - 4/7 with bet365
• Ollie Watkins to score any time - 6/5 with bet365

Olympiacos vs Aston Villa predictions

Before the Europa Conference League semi-finals got under way, Aston Villa were the favourites to win the tournament. After the first legs, they are now outsiders.

Villa were stunned by Olympiacos in Birmingham last week. The Greek outfit raced into a 2-0 lead, only to be pegged back by the hosts. But Olympiacos steadied themselves thereafter, scoring twice more to win 4-2 at Villa Park.

Given they are fourth in the Premier League right now, it is not hard to see why Villa were so widely fancied going into the semis.

But for all Unai Emery’s credentials, this is a team that still has relatively little experience of European football. Villa only squeezed past Lille on penalties in the last eight, while Olympiacos are used to competing on the continent season in, season out. 

Fatigue also appears to be creeping in at Villa. They produced a limp and lethargic display in the Premier League on Sunday, going down 1-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion. Emery’s men managed just two shots all game on the south coast.

If Villa are suffering from tiredness, it is understandable. The meeting with Brighton was their 53rd game of the season. Their Europa Conference League campaign began before the group stage with a two-legged play-off against Hibernian. 

Injuries have also taken a toll. Morgan Rogers was the latest Villa player to go down with an ailment at the weekend. He joins Emi Martinez, Emi Buendia, Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey and Youri Tielemans on the treatment table.

Still, Villa will dig deep into their reserves in a bid to overturn the two-goal deficit from the first leg. 

The fact that Tottenham Hotspur lost to Liverpool on Sunday means Emery’s side are on the brink of qualifying for the Champions League. That gives them the ability to go for it on Thursday in the knowledge that fourth place is almost assured.

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Olympiacos vs Aston Villa betting tips

Aston Villa have a mountain to climb in this Europa Conference League semi-final - can they produce an upset?

Aston Villa to win - 5/6 (Sky Bet)

Olympiacos fans will believe their side has done enough to advance to the Europa Conference League final, but Jose Luis Mendilibar - their third manager of a chaotic season - will be warning against complacency.

Currently fourth in the Greek Super League, Olympiacos are unlikely to win the domestic title this term. They will thus be fully focused on Thursday night.

It will be tough for Aston Villa to advance from here, but we fancy their chances of at least emerging victorious after 90 minutes.

The Karaiskakis Stadium produces a fantastic atmosphere when it gets going, but Villa will draw belief from the fact Freiburg and Maccabi Tel Aviv have won at Olympiacos’ ground in previous rounds.

There is also a danger that Olympiacos will be caught between two stools. Should they aim to protect their aggregate advantage or seek to increase it?

There is greater clarity to Villa’s task and that could enable them to come out on top on the night.

⚽ Back Aston Villa to win at 5/6 with Sky Bet ⚽

Over 2.5 goals - 4/7 (bet365)

Aston Villa will not go gung-ho from the first whistle on Thursday, since conceding the first goal would leave them with a mountain to climb. Indeed, it is vital that Emery’s charges draw first blood in Piraeus.

The second leg may well follow the pattern of the first, which saw Villa and Olympiacos trade blows in a wonderfully open encounter.

Even though they should not attack with abandon straight away, Villa will at some point need to take risks in their bid to restore parity on aggregate.

That in turn could present Olympiacos with opportunities. Mendilibar, who won the Europa League with Sevilla last term, is a wily coach. He will try to get his team to pick Villa off on the break if they leave too many gaps in behind.

All in all, it is difficult to envisage this being a dull, low-scoring affair.

⚽ Go for over 2.5 goals at 4/7 with bet365 ⚽

Ollie Watkins to score any time - 6/5 (bet365)

This has been the best season of Ollie Watkins’ career to date. 

His 50 appearances in all competitions have yielded 27 goals, including eight in this competition (three of which came in the qualification play-offs). That return is even more impressive when you consider that Douglas Luiz, not Watkins, is Aston Villa’s designated penalty-taker.

Emery will need Watkins to be at his best if Villa are to turn this tie around. The England international was kept quiet by Brighton on Sunday, but he is more than capable of having a major impact on this semi-final second leg.

Emery has helped to make Watkins a more complete centre-forward. His goal tally is impressive enough this term before you even consider that he has also provided 12 assists.

Watkins has notched only one goal in his last five outings in all competitions, but that came against Olympiacos last week. 

⚽ Tip Ollie Watkins to score any time at 6/5 with bet365 ⚽

📺 How to watch Olympiacos vs Aston Villa

• Location: Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece.
• Date and time: Thursday 9th May, 8pm.
• How to watch: TNT Sports 1.

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