Europa League and Conference League Betting Tips: Can Aston Villa upset the odds in Athens?

Wednesday and Thursday sees the second leg of the respective Europa and Europa Conference League semi-finals. The Belgian Brugge look to overcome a one-goal deficit against Fiorentina, while Aston Villa have to go one better if they are to defeat Greek giants Olympiacos. In the Europa League, Atalanta and Marseille lock horns again after a first-leg draw, while Leverkusen look a good bet to continue their invincible season at the hands of Roma. 

Club Brugge vs Fiorentina

Kick Off: 17:45 (Wednesday)

Fiorentina needed extra time to scrape through Viktoria Plzen in the previous round, with the Czech outfit proving hard to break down. However, previous games in this competition for Viola have seen a flurry of goals.

Vincenzo Italiano’s side scored 14 and conceded six in the group stages, only keeping clean sheets against a Cukaricki side that scored just two goals from their six games. The last 16 clash against Maccabi Haifa saw Fiorentina edge through an entertaining affair 5-4 on aggregate. 

17/34 of Fiorentina league games this season have seen BTTS, including their last three domestic games. 

Club Brugge are on a fine run of form, having won eight of their last nine games. Last week’s 3-2 loss to Fiorentina was the only blight in this record. 

23/37 of Brugge league games have seen BTTS, with Blauw-Zwart scoring 23 in 11 games under new manager Nicky Hayen. 

Last week’s match was an enthralling encounter in which Fiorentina won 3-2. Club Brugge will be looking to attack from minute one in what should be an open affair. 

Club Brugge have lost just once at home in the league, also winning four of their five European home games. With how attacking Brugge are expected to be, Fiorentina will fancy their chances of scoring for the eighth straight game. 

Prediction: Club Brugge win and Both Teams To Score @ 4.7

Olympiacos vs Aston Villa

Kick Off: 20:00 (Thursday)

Heavy underdogs Olympiacos shocked the footballing nation by defeating Champions League-bound Aston Villa away from home. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side were extremely well-organised and ruthless in attack, with Ayoub El Kaabi scoring a hat-trick. 

Aston Villa followed up this display in a dismal, lethargic 1-0 loss at Brighton in which they recorded just two shots. Much has been made of their mounting injury list, but Unai Emery will be keen to ensure he continues his impressive European record. 

In the first leg, Aston Villa forced six corners despite not being at their best. To overcome this two-goal deficit, the Villans will have to attack from minute one, so a fast start is expected. 

Aston Villa are averaging just shy of seven corners per game when losing at half-time. As they are chasing the game from minute one, we should see Villa rack up plenty of corners. 

Prediction: Aston Villa Race to 7 corners @ 2.26

Atalanta vs Marseille

 Atalanta shocked Liverpool in the previous round, defeating The Reds 0-3 at Anfield, before only succumbing to a 1-0 loss at home. Before this, Atalanta defeated Sporting Lisbon over 2 legs (3-2) after winning their group unbeaten on 14 points. 

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have been in remarkable form, with the 1-0 loss against Liverpool the only time they have tasted defeat in their last eight matches. Only both Milan Clubs – AC and Inter, can better Atalanta’s 63 league goals, a sign of their attacking potency. 

In Serie A, 18/34 of La Dea games have seen both team’s score. 

Despite coming second in the group of death below Brighton, Marseille have enjoyed a fruitful Europa League campaign thus far and will fancy their chances of making the final. Jean-Louis Gasset’s side have overcome Shakhtar Donetsk (5-3), Villareal (5-3) and Benfica (pens after a 2-2 draw) to get to the semi-finals. 

Last week’s encounter was an entertaining one, with both sides scoring in a 1-1 draw. Marseille have seen BTTS in 9/13 Europa League games thus far, with these games averaging over 3.5 goals per game. 

In the league, Les Phoceens have seen both teams to score land in 9/15 away games, with both teams to score also clicking in six of their last seven in all competitions. 

Prediction: Both Teams to Score @ 1.77

Bayer Leverkusen vs Roma

Kick Off: 20:00 (Thursday)

There seems to be no stopping the Bayer Leverkusen train. The weekend’s 1-5 win over Frankfurt made it 48 games without a defeat for Xabi Alonso’s side this season, with five more games left to complete an unprecedented invincible treble. 

Leverkusen eased past Roma in the previous round, with goals either side of the break from Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich proving decisive in a 2-0 win. 

Die Werkself were dominant from minute one in a completely efficient performance, and they will be hoping to channel this same performance in the second leg in front of their home fans and maintain their unbeaten record. 

Roma have struggled away from home this season, winning just six of their 17 league away games. Daniele De Rossi’s side also lost away to Brighton in a previous knockout round, while struggling to a draw in the first knockout round away at Feyenoord. In the group stages, Roma limped to a draw at Swiss side Servette, while losing 2-0 to Slavia Prague. 

It could be argued that no team on the planet will be a match for Leverkusen this season and a Roma side who struggle away from home may be the next victim of the Xabi Alonso train. 

Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen -1 Asian Handicap @ 1.79

Recommended Bets

Back Club Brugge to beat Fiorentina and Both Teams To Score @ 4.70
Back Aston Villa race to 7 corners vs Olympiacos @ 2.26
Back both teams to score in Atalanta vs Marseille @ 1.77
Back Bayer Leverkusen to beat Roma with a -1 Handicap @ 1.79