Aston Villa vs Olympiacos prediction 02.05.2024

• Competition: Europa Conference League, Semi-Finals, 1st Leg
• Date: Thursday, 2nd May, 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UK / 21:00 CEST
• Venue: Villa Park (Birmingham)

On Thursday evening, Aston Villa will welcome Greece's most successful club, Olympiacos, in the first leg of the Europa Conference League Semi-Finals. 

Aston Villa reformed under coach Unai Emery, and with some additions over the Summer, they became one of the best clubs in England. The Villans are on pace to secure a Champions League appearance next season, as they are currently holding fourth place with a seven-point advantage over fifth-placed Tottenham, although with two games played more. In the Europa Conference League, they are the primary candidates for the title, at least by the bookmakers, with the odds at around 2.05.

Olympiacos has long been a dominant force in Greece. However, that wasn't the case last season, as they finished third! This year, they are struggling once again, at least by their standards. Currently, the Red-Whites are fourth in the domestic league, five points away from the first-placed AEK, but with one game played less. In the ECL, even though they reached the Semi-Finals, the bookies have very little faith in them as they offer the biggest odds on them to win the title at around 10.

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos pick: Over 2.5 goals

Aston Villa are playing a really exciting style of football, and most of their games finish with three or more goals. In the Premier League, 71% of their games finished with over 2.5 goals, and in the ECL, they are even better, with 75% of their games (nine of 12) finishing with at least three goals. Also, at Villa Park, the Villans are absolutely great. In the last six home matches in all competitions, they scored at least two goals, and we strongly believe they can score at least twice against Olympiacos. However, we do not believe in their defense, as they kept a clean sheet only twice in the last 13 matches! 

Olympiacos are in good form, having won five of seven last games and scoring 18 goals - 2.6 per game. So, we believe they can score at least once at Villa Park. Additionally, if we count the European qualification rounds, Olympicacos were over 2.5 goals in ten of 16 games (62.5%). 

Both teams are in good form, and considering what we have seen from them in Europe, we expect a high-scoring game, most likely with both teams scoring.