Olympiacos Piraeus vs Aston Villa prediction: EUROPE: Europa Conference League – Play Offs betting tips on match 2024-05-08 19:00.
[p]Bidding to become just the second Greek team to reach a European final after Panathinaikos in 1971, Olympiacos hold the advantage in this UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) semi-final after beating Aston Villa 4-2 in the first leg. Unlike their opponents, they haven’t played since, which might be a relief given that they’re engaged in a four-way tussle for Greek Super League glory with AEK, Panathinaikos and PAOK.[/p]
[p]But if any team will be wary of throwing away a first-leg lead it will be Olympiacos, who lost 4-1 at the Karaiskakis Stadium to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the last 16 before progressing by emphatically winning 6-1 in Israel. Four straight victories in competitive home fixtures should give José Luis Mendilibar’s side plenty of confidence, especially as only one of them – against Fenerbahçe in the previous UECL round – saw them concede more than once.[/p]
[p]Following the first leg, Villa manager Unai Emery spoke about the need for his squad to adapt to the challenges of competing domestically and in Europe, especially as they will likely play UEFA Champions League football next season. Therefore, Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion does not augur well as they seek to make a first final on the continent since winning the 1981/82 European Cup.[/p]
[p]Only scoring twice across their last three UECL away games (D2, L1 after 90 minutes) suggests that the Villans may struggle to break through as they prepare for a first-ever away fixture in Greece, knowing that winning the tie will earn them a trip to nearby Athens for the final. However, as they’ve lost both previous European contests in which they trailed after the first leg at home, history is not on their side.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Ayoub El Kaabi will be a marked man after his first-leg hat-trick made him the competition’s joint-top scorer (group stage onwards) with eight goals, five of which have arrived before half-time. Ollie Watkins also netted before the break in the first leg, although two of his last four competitive strikes were from the 80th minute onwards. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Olympiacos have only won one of their last six home games against English opponents (D2, L3).[/p]