Olympiacos v Aston Villa

Below is a full betting preview ahead of this week's Conference League semi-final second leg between Aston Villa and Olympiacos, accompanied by betting tips, predictions, team news, and best bets as well as a Cheat Sheet covering the proceedings.

We have the best football tips and predictions for the Europa Conference League up on-site, including coverage of Club Brugge v Fiorentina, if you fancy taking on some extra funds for the semi-finals you should visit our Free Bets Page ahead of kick-off.

Our BTTS tips are worth a browse if you're preparing to get involved in the market this weekend.

With one foot already in this season’s Europa Conference League final, Olympiacos will aim to finish the job when they welcome Aston Villa to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium for Thursday night’s semi-final second leg.

The Greek giants caught Unai Emery’s side cold last week as they claimed an impressive 4-2 win at Villa Park, with Ayoub El Kaabi stealing the show with a stunning hat-trick. 

That shock setback has left Aston Villa with a mountain to climb in their bid to reach this season’s showpiece in Athens.

While Villa will truly believe that they can turn this tie around, triumphing by at least two goals in the cauldron-like atmosphere of the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is going to be a very tall order.

Aston Villa v Olympiacos Best Bets

➡️ Over 5.5 Aston Villa corners @ 1.67 with Betfair
➡️ Over 4.5 match cards @ 1.83 with Betfair

📂 Olympiacos v Aston Villa Cheat Sheet

There are so many ways to use our Cheat Sheets and we encourage you to find your own formula to pick a winning bet builder, however, if you’re unsure of how to use a Cheat Sheet, just click the link for some quick tips to help you make the most of it.

You can find Aston Villa v Olympiacos match stats, on my bet builder stats tool, along with official line-ups one hour before kick-off. If you’re looking for a new bookmaker check out the best bet builder bookmakers.

⚔️ Olympiacos v Aston Villa Head-to-Head

The two sides faced off for the first time ever at Villa Park last week, with Olympiacos emerging victorious.

Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men will take great confidence from last Thursday’s first leg success, not to mention they have already beaten Premier League opposition at home this season, having earned a 2-1 win against West Ham during the group phase of the Europa League.

It was a case of being very clinical for the Greek side at Villa Park, scoring four goals from just five shots on target and from three of their four shots from inside the Villa 18-yard box. In the absence of the away goals rule, the comeback is more doable for Villa, but Olympiacos are in a very strong position and have more recent experience in these kinds of scenarios than Emery's squad does.

📊 Olympiacos Form and Stats

Olympiacos currently occupy fourth spot in the Greek Super League which will come as a surprise to some. That being said, the 47-time champions are only five points off the pace and they also have a game in hand on their rivals too.

In terms of their overall form, the Red-Whites are in really good shape at the moment, having won 16 of their last 19 matches across all competitions.

Somewhat surprisingly, Olympiacos have not been involved in any draws across their seven Conference League contests this season, posting five wins and two losses since parachuting into the competition from the Europa League.

The visitors produced a ruthless performance to put Aston Villa to the sword last week, netting four times while registering an expected goals for (xGF) figure of just 1.59.

📊 Aston Villa Form and Stats

Having failed to win any of their last three matches in all competitions, Aston Villa appear to be stumbling towards the campaign's finish line.

Unai Emery watched his team throw away a two-goal lead in their last Premier League home game to draw 2-2 with Chelsea before slumping to a 1-0 defeat at Brighton on Sunday.

Aston Villa failed to make the most of their dominance of territory and possession (66%) when playing host to Olympiacos last week. The Villans won the semi-final first leg shot count 17-8, with seven of those efforts hitting the target compared to Olympiakos’ tally of five.

💰 Olympiacos v Aston Villa Best Bets 

After losing the first leg 4-2, Aston Villa will have to throw the kitchen sink at their hosts if they are to keep their quest for Europa Conference League glory alive.

As such, backing Unai Emery’s side to rack up at least six corners during this week’s second leg stands out, with over 5.5 Aston Villa corners available at 1.67 on Betfair. Our guide to betting on corners is a valuable resource if you're looking to get involved. Villa earned exactly six flag kicks during last Thursday’s first leg and they should repeat the feat in trying to force the issue at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium.

The referee’s cards were kept in his pocket for most of the night at Villa Park but there is a good chance tempers could boil over in Greece. Aston Villa will have to try and fight their way back into the tie, while Olympiakcs may resort to a bit of gamesmanship to protect their lead.

Thus, opting for over 4.5 cards, available at 1.83 on Betfair, should give us a good run for our money. Our Betfair sportsbook review will tell you how to make the most of their unique offering to bettors.

* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.