Aston Villa vs Olympiacos LIVE: Europa Conference League team ...
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Aston Villa take on Olympiacos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday night, a return to the last four of a major European competition for the first time in over four decades for the Midlands club. That comes at the peak of a season of massive progress, with Unai Emery’s team also fighting for a top-four finish in the Premier League and a place in next term’s Champions League.
Ollie Watkins has been in form all season and has impressed both domestically and on the continental stage, and Villa should have real confidence of going the distance.
Opponents Olympiacos are fighting for the title in the Greek top flight once more this season, fourth place but only one point off second. Follow the action from the first leg below and see the Aston Villa vs Olympiacos predictions and latest odds here.
Around 35 minutes to kick-off at Villa Park and the anticipation is certainly building...the fans are giving the players a phenomenal entrance for their first European semi-final in 42 years!
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 19:26
And the visiting side’s lineup!
Former Premier League winger Daniel Podence is there, who used to be with Wolves, as is ex-Leicester midfielder Vicente Iborra.
Olympiacos XI: Tzolakis, Rodinei, Retsos, Carmo, Ortega, Hezze, Iborra, Chiquinho, Podence, El Kaabi, Fortounis.
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 19:07
Villa lineup is in - Olsen in net as expected and Rogers keeps his place after a great run of form.
Villa XI: Olsen, Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Digne, Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Rogers, Diaby, Watkins
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 19:05
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery says he has full faith in deputy goalkeeper Robin Olsen going into Thursday’s Europa League Conference semi-final first leg with Olympiacos.
The Sweden international will play as number one Emiliano Martinez is suspended after picking up three yellow cards in the competition so far, with two of them coming in the quarter-final second-leg win in Lille.
Olsen may well have been playing anyway as Martinez sustained a hamstring injury in the first half of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea, with the 34-year-old coming on at half-time.
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 18:50
The other match tonight is Fiorentina vs Club Brugge - naturally, the winners there and in this tie will be meeting in the final.
This year, the Europa Conference League final is being held in Athens...another big incentive, then, for Villa’s opponents to go the distance.
We’ll also keep you posted from the Europa League semis played tonight:
Roma vs Leverkusen
Marseille vs Atalanta.
All matches kick off at 8pm BST.
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 18:40
For their opponents, Olympiacos, this is as big as it gets for them in recent years, and they are doing it with some of the castaway members from Premier League clubs.
It is a first-ever appearance in a European semi-final for Thrylos, their place in the final four has been in jeopardy on multiple occasions along the way.
Nathan Edwards looks at Villa’s opponents tonight:
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 18:30
Tonight’s match is on TNT Sports. You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
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The Independent2 May 2024 18:20
Unai Emery’s side survived a penalty shootout to edge out Lille in the last eight and get home advantage first in the two-legged tie.
Their Greek opponents also needed penalties to overcome Fenerbahce, with Konstantinos Tzolakis saving three penalties to continue to build his reputation as a goalkeeper of real promise.
The winner of the encounter will take on either Fiorentina or Club Brugge in the final in Athens on May 29.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 18:10
Hello and welcome to the Independent’s live coverage of the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg, where Aston Villa are playing hosts to Greek side Olympiacos.
It’s a massive chance to land silverware for the Premier League club, who have been resurgent under Unai Emery and could yet seal a top-four finish in England too. For now though it’s full attention on the hunt for a European trophy, meaning they’ll need a decent first-leg result tonight.
Stay tuned for all the team news and match buildup.
Karl Matchett2 May 2024 17:42
