Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction: Emery's men to take control at Villa Park

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction 

• Aston Villa to win and over 3.5 goals – 13/5 Betfred
• Ollie Watkins first goal scorer – 15/4 Betway 
• Over 8.5 corners – 4/6 bet365

Aston Villa put one European dream aside for another on Thursday when they host Olympiacos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final (8pm, TNT Sports 1). 

Unai Emery’s men are on course to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top four of the Premier League, but can take one step forward to reaching a European final this season in their clash with the Greek outfit. 

The Villans have overcome Ajax and Lille in the last two rounds to book their place in the last four. They now need to raise their game against Olympiacos to make the dream of competing in the final on May 22 in Athens a reality.

Olympiacos could end the campaign with a domestic and European double with Jose Luis Mendilibar's men embroiled in a four-way battle for the Greek Super League crown. 

They reached their first European semi-final by defeating Fenerbahce on penalties, having previously staged a remarkable comeback against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the round of 16. There’s never any shortage of drama where Olympiacos are concerned. 

Football betting sites make Villa odds-on favourites to win on Thursday night and ultimately qualify for the final, but it could be a tough outing for Emery's men.

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction: Strong start for Emery’s men 

Villa were on the precipice of elimination from the competition after going 2-0 down against Lille in the second leg of their quarter-final, but Matty Cash was on point three minutes from time to extend the contest. 

Emery’s men eventually triumphed on penalties, but their victory did come at a cost.  

Emiliano Martinez, who was the star of the show, saving two penalties in the shootout, earned a second yellow card that did not constitute a dismissal on the night but has carried over to result in a suspension for the semi-final first leg. 

The Argentine has been a huge success story during his time at the Midlands outfit and Emery’s side will miss his presence with Robin Olsen expected to take over between the posts.  

Villa’s form has been up and down in the Premier League of late. 

They surrendered a two-goal lead against Chelsea last time out to drop two vital points. However, they also beat Arsenal on the road and produced wins over Wolves and Bournemouth, leaving them in a strong position in the race to finish in the top four.

Not many sides go to Villa Park and win, and even after conceding three against Brentford two weeks ago, Villa still managed to earn a share of the spoils. There’s no hiding that Emery’s men are conceding goals, which will give Olympiacos belief. 

The Greek side put four past Lamia at the weekend in league action and scored six on the road in an incredible comeback against Maccabi Tel Aviv after losing the first leg of their round of 16 encounter 4-1. 

So, we could see a fair few goals at Villa Park, but the hosts’ strength on their own patch cannot be underestimated. After looking at betting apps, we like the value of backing Villa to win and pairing it with over 3.5 goals. 

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction 1: Aston Villa to win and over 3.5 goals – 13/5 Betfred

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos tips: Watkins to find the net? 

Ollie Watkins has been Villa’s standout player this season. The England international has excelled in the final third, not only scoring goals but also creating them for his team mates. 

No player in the Premier League has more goal involvements than Watkins, who is challenging Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot as well as leading the top flight in assists.  

Watkins has earned his place on the England plane for Euro 2024 as Harry Kane’s backup, and there is still plenty of scope for the 28-year-old to improve.  

Watkins has been impressive in the Conference League, scoring seven in 10 appearances, including a hat-trick in their win over Hibernian during the play-off round. He has netted in the last two rounds, and should Villa advance, we feel Watkins will have undoubtedly played his part.  

Betting sites have installed Watkins the favourite in both the first goal scorer and any time scorer markets. We’re inclined to agree, but since he scored the opener in matches against Ajax and Lille, we’re backing him at 15/4 price with Betway to break the deadlock on Thursday. 

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction 2: Ollie Watkins first goal scorer – 15/4 Betway

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos: Corners on the agenda? 

Only Fiorentina have earned more corners than Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League this season, while Olympiacos have amassed 32 corners in only six games. 

Villa are a team that enjoy a corner in Europe this term, while their last outing against Lille caught the eye as 14 corners were taken during the 120 minutes of action.  

Olympiacos, too, like to use corners to their advantage, despite only managing one in their last out against Fenerbahce.

Gambling sites have set the corner line at 8.5 for the contest, which gives us food for thought as Villa are averaging 6.2 corners per game. 

Olympiacos are more than capable of earning at least three corners on the road on their day, so we’re backing over 8.5 corners at 4/6 with bet365 for our final prediction. 

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction 3: Over 8.5 corners – 4/6 bet365 

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