Villa Park is all set to host a European semi-final for the first time in 42 years as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa welcome Olympiacos in the first leg.
Aston Villa and Olympiacos had to dig deep in the quarter-finals to make it this far in the UEFA Europa Conference League, and they are now just one step away from an all-important final.
Unai Emery’s team have been a dominant force throughout the season. They are fighting for a top-four finish in the Premier League and have made it to the penultimate stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Villa squared up against LOSC Lille in the quarter-finals. It was a very closely fought encounter and after 180 minutes of football, the two teams could not be separated (3-3). Eventually, Villa came out on top via a penalty shoot-out.
Given Emery’s track record in Europe and the kind of form they have been in this season, Villa will surely be confident about their chances. Olympiacos have also had a decent season so far, and they have the opportunity of taking it to the next level by going past the English outfit.
They squared up against Fenerbahce in the quarter-finals. The two teams could not be separated over the 180 minutes of football and a penalty shootout was needed to decide who goes through. The Greek giants kept their calm and managed to get the desired result.
They have been in great form since the quarter-finals and will surely give Villa a run for their money. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Aston Villa will be without the services of Emiliano Martinez, Boubacar Kamara, Emiliano Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey, Alex Moreno, and Nicolo Zaniolo. Emery has quite a few injuries to deal with. Meanwhile, Youri Tielemans, who was subbed in the first half against Chelsea, is a major doubt for this one.
The home side will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Robin Olsen will be in goal. Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres will feature in the heart of the defence, while Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will take charge as the full-backs.
Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers will feature out wide on the flanks. They will provide support to the full-backs as well as look to add width to their attacks. Douglas Luiz and John McGinn will feature in a more central role. They will look to control the tempo of the game. In attack, we could see Jhon Duran start alongside the incredible Ollie Watkins.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Olsen; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Luiz, McGinn, Rogers; Duran, Watkins
Olympiacos
The visitors will be without the services of Andreas Ndoj and Georgios Masouras, who are both suspended for this fixture. They do not have any fresh injury concerns to worry about and have the majority of their squad ready for this big clash.
Olympiacos will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Konstantinos Tzolakis will take charge in goal as he has been the preferred choice for European fixtures this term. Rodinei and Francisco Ortega will start as the full-backs, while Panagiotis Retsos and David Carmo will pair up in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Andre Horta will start alongside Santiago Hezze and Chiquinho. The trio will look to ensure Villa do not end up dictating the pace of the game. Kostas Fortounis and Daniel Podence will provide the width to their attacks, while Ayoub El Kaabi will lead the line and will be eager to add to his tally.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Tzolakis; Rodinei, Restos, Carmo, Ortega; Horta, Chiquinho, Hezze; Fortounis, El Kaabi, Podence
Key Stats
- Aston Villa are all set to square up against a Greek opposition in a UEFA club competition for the first team.
- Olympiacos do not have an impressive record in England as they have lost 16 out of their 20 games.
- Unai Emery’s team have won each of their six games at Villa Park in the Conference League this term.
- Olympiacos’ manager Jose Luis Mendilibar won the Europa League last season as Sevilla boss.
- Unai Emery has been involved in five European finals (all Europa League finals) so far and has won four of them.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
Unai Emery will depend on his star striker Ollie Watkins to get the job done in this fixture. The 28-year-old England international has been a standout performer for Aston Villa throughout the season and given the kind of form he has been in, it won’t be a surprise to see him decide the outcome of this fixture. Watkins has featured in 48 matches this term. He has contributed with 26 goals and 12 assists and will be eager to add to it.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-1 Olympiacos
Aston Villa and Olympiacos have both been in sensational form, and they are heading into this semi-final after going past the quarter-finals via a penalty shoot-out. While on the basis of form, there is not much to separate the two teams, Villa on paper seem to have more quality options and since they are playing in their own backyard, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Unai Emery’s men.
