178 teams from 54 different countries have featured in this season’s UEFA Europa Conference League, but now just four remain, all desperate to feature at Agia Sophia Stadium for the final on 29 May.
Here are our betting tips for this week’s semi-final first leg action.
Europa Conference League Betting Tips - Thursday 2 May
UEFA Europa Conference League Acca of the Day
Aston Villa to win and over 2.5 goals
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals
Fiorentina vs Club Brugge
At 4/1, a £10 bet would return £50.40!
UEFA Europa Conference League acca of the week- 2 May
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos betting tips
This is Aston Villa’s first European semi-final for 42 years, crowned champions of Europe back then, and while the prize on offer may not be quite as great as in 1982, Villans worldwide are desperate for the same outcome.
So far this season, Unai Emery’s team have played 12 Europa Conference League matches, hammering Ajax in the round of 16, although they found LOSC Lille stiffer opponents in the quarter-finals.
Following a 2-1 win at home, the Claret and Blue Army required a last-gasp goal from Matty Cash to salvage themselves at Stade Pierre-Mauroy, beaten 2-1 on the night as the tie went to extra time and then penalties.
Villa converted four of their five spot-kicks meaning, by the time Emi Martínez made his second save of the shootout, the away fans could celebrate wildly in Villeneuve-d’Ascq.
This will be remembered for the fact Martínez was booked by referee Ivan Kružliak during the shootout, as a result of his antics and, given that he’d been cautioned for time-wasting during the game, many assumed he was sent off.
However, and it appeared as though nobody knew this beforehand, cards accumulated during a match are not carried into a shootout, thereby allowing Martínez to continue, albeit he is suspended for this first leg.
Even without him, Villa will be confident of claiming a first leg advantage, having won all six European home matches so far this season, scoring 12 times and conceding only three during this victories.
Unai Emery has reached five Europa League finals during his managerial career, winning four of them, and has now won each of his lat 25 two-legged ties in Europa-based competition.
Amazingly, his most-recent such defeat came as Valencia boss against Atlético Madrid in 2012.
Thus, Aston Villa are firm favourites to reach the final, but establishing a first leg lead will be vital.
Olympiacos meantime are ultra-motivated to feature in a final taking place just 8.4 miles away from their stadium in Piraeus, with fierce rivals AEK Athens’ brand-new arena the venue.
The Red-Whites are 47-times champions of Greece, that’s more titles than everyone else combined, but this is the first time ever they’ve reached the semi-finals of any UEFA competition.
To get here, they’ve already played 16 European matches during this campaign, ousting Genk and Čukarički in qualifiers, before finishing third in their Europa League group, most-notably beating West Ham at home.
Since dropping into this tournament, they swatted aside Ferencváros and then enjoyed two dramatic victories.
In the round of 16, despite being down and out after Maccabi Tel Aviv hammered them 4-1 at home, Olympiacos fought back to win the second leg 4-1, before two extra time goals saw them advance.
Then, despite racing into a 3-0 lead less than an hour into the quarter-final encounter with Fenerbahçe, the Turkish giants scored twice late on in Greece, before winning 1-0 in İstanbul, forcing a shootout.
Of the ten spot-kicks taken, only half were converted, with goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis very much the hero, making three saves, the third of which, denying Leonardo Bonucci, secured his team’s progression.
What is peculiar about Olympiacos’ historic run in this competition is that it has come while the team are struggling domestically, finishing third last year and currently fourth right now, despite winning 22 of the previous 26 titles beforehand.
Since the start of last season, five permanent managers have been fired, namely Pedro Martins, Carlos Corberán, Míchel, Diego Martínez and Carlos Carvalhal, with José Luis Mendilibar now at the helm, the man who won the Europa League in charge of Sevilla just 12 months ago.
To date, Olympiacos have visited England 20 times and lost 16 of them, all three of their victories coming over Arsenal, these in 2015, 2020 and 2021.
Thus, Aston Villa will fancy their chances of a victory at Villa Park.
Aston Villa to win
1st selection
Ollie Watkins to score anytime
2nd selection
Over 2.5 goals
3rd selection
At 21/10 a £10 bet would return £31!
Aston Villa vs Olympiacos
Fiorentina vs Club Brugge betting tips
Both previous UEFA Europa Conference League Finals have featured Italian representation, a trend that could continue.
Fiorentina themselves were in last season’s final, heartbreakingly beaten 2-1 by West Ham United in Prague, but are still on course to go one step further, seeking to end the club’s 23-year wait for silverware.
This season, Vincenzo Italiano’s team are now unbeaten in 11 Europa Conference League matches, albeit they’ve had to battle past both Maccabi Haifa and Viktoria Plzeň in the knockout phase.
Their quarter-final against the Czechs remained goalless after 180 minutes, meaning extra time was required, and, up against ten-men by this point, goals from Nicolás González and then Cristiano Biraghi saw the home side eventually advance in Florence.
In Serie A, despite successive wins over Salernitana and Sassuolo, I Viola are just about clinging onto the eighth and final European spot, so may need to win this competition to be back in UEFA competition.
Nevertheless, Fiorentina have lost just two of 14 home matches in this competition, progressing through all eight two-legged ties to date, so are confident of claiming a first leg victory at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
As for Club Brugge, this is the first time they’ve reached the semi-finals of any UEFA tournament for 32 years.
The Blue-Blacks featured in both the UEFA Cup Final of 1976 and the European Cup Final two years later, beaten by Liverpool both times, while their two subsequent semi-final appearances came in the UEFA Cup in ‘88 and the Cup Winners’ Cup in ‘92, dumped out by Espanyol and Werder Bremen respectively.
In modern times, this is unquestionable their best run, playing 16 matches already, navigating three qualifiers before topping their group with 16 points out of a possible 18.
Then, during the knockout phase, they’ve come from behind to oust Molde and then taken care of PAOK, ousting the Greek side 3-0 on aggregate, with Ferran Jutglà the scorer of a brace in Thessaloniki.
During this period, Brugge have actually changed managers, sacking Ronny Deila with rookie Nicky Hayen, who’d been in charge of Club NXT, ostensibly their youth team, now at the helm.
Under Hayen, they’ve won five successive Jupiler Pro League matches, scoring 15 goals, so are now joint-top alongside Anderlecht, with four matches remaining; the top two meet on the penultimate matchday.
So, up against a Brugge team in red-hot form, Fiorentina will feel a first leg victory is vital.
Fiorentina to win
1st selection
Both teams to score
2nd selection
Nicolás González to score anytime
3rd selection
At 6/1, a £10 bet would return £70
Fiorentina vs Club Brugge
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