Aston Villa host Olympiacos in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final tie on Thursday night, and here’s how you can watch the action unfold…
Unai Emery’s side saw off Lille in the last round, and they’ll face another tough assignment against the Greek giants, particularly with a depleted squad.
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Emiliano Martinez misses out due to suspension, while Youri Tielemans was added to a lengthy injury list after he was forced off against Chelsea this past weekend with a groin injury.
Along with long-term absentees Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia, Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey, they’ll be sidelined for this encounter, while it remains to be seen when Alex Moreno and Nicolo Zaniolo return to the matchday squad.
How to watch Aston Villa vs Olympiacos
When: Thursday May 2, 20:00 KO
Where: Villa Park
How:
UK – TNT Sports 1/Discovery+
US – Paramount+
Canada – DAZN
Australia – Stan Sport
Italy – Sky Sport
Germany/Austria – Sky Sports
Spain – Movistar Liga de Campeones
France – RMC Sport Live
Despite all those absentees, Emery has continued to find a way to get the best out of his group and obtain the results needed to keep their impressive season going.
In addition to their hopes of making a major European final, Villa are also pushing to finish in the top four in the Premier League this season, and although some may think they’ll have one eye on their trip to Brighton on Sunday, Emery won’t allow for any complacency or distractions to set in.
Villa have won every home game in this competition thus far, while they’ve scored 19 goals across 10 games and conceded 10 in total.
They’ll no doubt go into the tie as favourites, but this will be a difficult task for them regardless of Emery’s experience and know-how in Europe, with Olympiacos boasting some real talent, while they’ve made it this far for a reason.
It’s critical for Villa’s hopes that they take an advantage into the second leg in Greece, with Emery also hoping to recover some key players. This is a real test of their resilience and determination given the number of games that they’ve already played this season, but they’ll deliver another big win in front of their home fans as there’s sure to be another raucous crowd at Villa Park for the club’s first major European semi-final in over 20 years. Back the home win.
