Olympiacos v Aston Villa

Olympiakos vs Aston Villa Preview

Olympiakos plundered another four goals in last week's 1st leg tie of their UEFA Conference League semi-final fixture against Premier League side Aston Villa as the Greek hosts followed up their previous domestic top flight comprehensive 4-1 rout of Lamia on home soil beforehand, while Aston Villa slumped to a second defeat on the trot when they were handed a 1-0 loss away from home at Brighton in the Premier League on the weekend.

Olympiakos hold the upper hand over their Premier League opponents as the Greek outfit walked away from Villa Park with what could prove to be a match-winning 4-2 win in the west midlands and the hosts now return to their Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki brimming with confidence as they have put together an impressive eight-match unbeaten sequence which consists of seven wins and a draw.

Four of these seven wins have been achieved on home soil with Greek Super League victories against Aris, PAOK and Lamia respectively along with a 3-2 win against Turkish side Fenerbahce in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League as well.

However, Olympiakos' potential of a place in the final of this competition is expected to come under heavy scrutiny despite holding home advantage so it may be best to opt for the goals market in this clash especially as six of Olympiakos' last eight matches overall have resulted in Over 2.5 goals.

Aston Villa were dealt a second defeat on the trot in the domestic Premier League over the weekend when The Villains suffered a 1-0 loss down on the south coast against Brighton which followed the aforementioned 1st leg 4-2 defeat at home to Olympiakos in last week's 1st leg in the west midlands so it's fair to say Unai Emery's side have a lot of work to do in order to redeem themselves at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki on Thursday night.

Villa had previously put together an encouraging six-match unbeaten run in all competitions which included victories achieved over the likes of Arsenal and Bournemouth in the English top flight along with home and away wins on the European stage against Lille in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League.

Having managed to capture just six wins out of their last 14 matches overall though, Aston Villa are susceptible to the occasional stumble and the visitors have also been handed four defeats within these 14 games as well.

The goals market therefore also appeals as nine of Aston Villa's last 14 games overall have also resulted in Over 2.5 goals.

Olympiakos v Aston Villa Verdict

Aston Villa have no option other than to press forward from the kick-off as the visitors look to chase down this two-goal deficit but goals look the most likely outcome in this clash.

Therefore, our main bet will be Over 2.5 goals @ 1.57

Other side bets worth considering:

Aston Villa win @ 1.95

Correct Score: Aston Villa win & Over 2.5 goals @ 2.75