Aston Villa have it all to do following the first leg at home, so can Unai Emery’s team pull-off a remarkable remontada in Piraeus?
Olympiacos vs Aston Villa match preview
After claiming a shock victory a week ago, that surely no one could’ve seen coming, can Olympiacos finish the job at home, becoming the first Greek team to reach a European Final for 53 years, with the final taking place in Athens?
Most made Aston Villa overwhelming favourites to get through this tie, but it was the away side who raced into a 2-0 lead in the English Midlands, with Ayoub El Kaabi scoring twice inside half an hour.
However, Ollie Watkins hit back in first half injury time before, straight after the interval, Moussa Diaby squeezed the ball in-between Konstantinos Tzolakis and his near-post, thereby making it 2-2, sending Villa Park into a frenzy.
However, almost immediately, Douglas Luiz was penalised for handball, with referee Marco Guida pointing the penalty spot, as El Kaabi cooly completed his hat-trick, sending Robin Olsen the wrong way.
It then got worse for the Claret and Blue Army, Santiago Hezze’s long-range strike deflecting in off Ezri Konsa’s back, and the Greek side boasted a 4-2 lead.
Towards the end, Villa were given a route back into the tie, David Carmo hauling down Jhon Durán in the area, but Luiz’s miserable night got even worse, as his spot-kick thwacked the up-right.
So, 4-2 it remained, with Olympiacos claiming just a fourth victory in England, on their 21st visit, all of the previous three coming at the Emirates.
Will it be a famous night at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, or can Aston Villa produce a famous comeback?
Olympiacos have now played 354 matches in UEFA competition, but are competing in the semi-finals of one for the very first time, previously dumped out in various quarter-finals in 1993 and 1999.
To get this far, the Red-Whites came third in their Europa League group, before overcoming Ferencváros, Maccabi Tel Aviv, despite losing the first leg 4-1, and then Fenerbahçe, prevailing via a penalty shootout in İstanbul.
Amazingly, despite this, Olympiacos are going through a turbulent period domestically, currently fourth in the Greek Super League, with José Luis Mendilibar their sixth ‘permanent’ manager since the start of last season.
Nevertheless, Mendilibar, the man who won the Europa League 12 months ago, is on the cusp of leading this club to a first-ever continental final, one that’s taking place just 8.3 miles away in Nea Filadelfeia, at the home of their fierce rivals AEK Athens.
Aston Villa meantime appear to be running out of steam both domestically and in Europe, beaten 1-0 at Brighton on Sunday, still fourth in the Premier League, thankful for Tottenham’s even more terrible form.
While the Villans will cling onto a top four finish, their hopes of a first European final since they were crowned kings of the continent in 1982 may have gone up in flames a week ago.
Unai Emery as a manager has reached five Europa League Finals, winning four of them, claiming victory in each of his last 25 two-legged ties in Europa-based competition, including ousting Ajax and Lille this year.
However, Villa now require a monumental comeback in Piraeus if they’re to be returning to Greece for the final in three weeks time.
Thus, we think the away side have left themsleves too much to do.
Olympiacos vs Aston Villa Tips
Not just because the first leg finished 4-2, but we’re expecting a high-scoring affair at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, as Aston Villa seek to overturn that deficit.
The Villans’ 13 Europa Conference League matches so far have witnessed 43 goals, an average of 3.3 per game, with both teams scoring in seven of the last nine.
Meanwhile, Olympiacos’ 17 European matches this season have produced a whopping 61 goals, 3.59 goals per game, with both teams scoring in ten of them, including six of the last seven in Piraeus.
Given that Aston Villa need to score at least twice in Greece to have any chance of reaching the final, they’ll need their top-scorer to be on top-form.
Ollie Watkins’ goal in the first leg was his 27th of the season, eight of which have come in this competition, and we’re forecasting he’ll add to that tally here.
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