Olympiakos and Aston Villa are set to clash in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday night.
The Greek side holds a significant 4-2 advantage from the first leg at Villa Park, but the English club will look to overturn the two-goal deficit in Piraeus.
Form and Team News
Olympiakos
Olympiakos have showcased strong form lately, navigating past Maccabi Tel Aviv and Fenerbahce to reach their first European semi-final.
Hat-trick hero Ayoub El Kaabi inspired the Greek side to victory in Birmingham, putting Olympiakos firmly on course to become the second Greek team to reach a European final after Panathinaikos.
Unavailable Players: Ruben Vezo, Gelson Martins, and Nelson Abbey are ineligible for this competition. Stevan Jovetic remains sidelined, but Andreas Ndoj and Georgios Masouras are back from suspension.
Key Players: El Kaabi, who has 30 goals this season, remains their key attacking threat, while Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Daniel Podence adds flair.
Aston Villa are struggling to find consistency, having lost to Olympiakos and then Brighton & Hove Albion in consecutive matches.
Unai Emery’s side needs to win by a three-goal margin to overturn the aggregate score, a challenging task given their recent form.
Injury Concerns: Boubacar Kamara, Tyrone Mings, and Emiliano Buendia are ruled out, while Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Alex Moreno, Nicolo Zaniolo, and Emiliano Martinez are doubtful.
Key Players: Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby will need to be at their best to give Villa any chance of a comeback.
Prediction
While Aston Villa have the quality to win in Greece, Olympiakos’ two-goal advantage and strong home form make them favourites to reach the final.
We expect a resilient Villa effort, but Olympiakos’ attacking prowess should see them secure passage.
Our Predicted Score: Olympiakos 1-2 Aston Villa (Olympiakos to win 5-4 on aggregate)
FAQ
Q: What is the current aggregate score between Olympiakos and Aston Villa? A: Olympiakos…
Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/news/olympiakos-vs-aston-villa-prediction/4681
Author : editors@footballcritic.com (Jake Skudder)
Publish date : 2024-05-09 05:30:00
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