Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Aston Villa
Match Time & Date:
02/05/2024
21:00
Prediction: 3-1
Olympiacos
Aston Villa will look to move one step closer to the Conference League final when they face Olympiacos at Villa Park on Thursday. The Villans are seen as hot favourites to win the first leg, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. Midfielder Youri Tielemans should be fit for the match despite limping off with injury in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea, while controversial goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez misses out through suspension.
The Thrylos, on the other hand, are not regarded as good travellers and that is probably the main reason why home win should be considered. To make things even worse for the visiting side, both Andreas Ndoj and Georgios Masouras are banned for the match. Olympiacos defender Panagiotis Retsos is back to the starting XI after missing the Fenerbahce game through suspension. It has to be noted that the two sides meet for the first time in European competitions.
Highlighted Player (Diego Carlos):
Diego Carlos Santos Silva is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Nantes as a defender. His main position is centre-back and his preferred foot is right. Diego Carlos began his youth career at America-SP and in 2010 he moved to Desportivo Brasil. After spending the 2012/2013 season on loan at Sao Paulo, the 185-cm-tall defender returned to Desportivo Brasil.
However, he made his first-team debut with Madureira during his spell with the club (2014). In 2014 Diego Carlos signed a contract with Portuguese club Estoril Praia and he scored two goals in 39 appearances for the Primeira Liga club. It has to be noted, though, that he played for Porto B (on loan) in the 2014/2015 season.
Diego Carlos moved to French club Nantes in the summer of 2016 and you should bear in mind that he quickly established himself as a first-team regular with les Canaris. The Brazilian footballer scored two goals in 34 appearances for Nantes in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign. His contract with the Ligue 1 side expires on June 20, 2021.
Highlighted Team (Olympiacos):
Olympiakos are regarded as one of the biggest club in Greece. The Thrylos were founded back in 1925 and they play their home games at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus. The capacity of the stadium is 33 296. In 2016 Olympiakos won their 43rd Greek Superleague trophy and it has to be noted that they clinched their sixth consecutive domestic title.
However, the club’s biggest success came in 1999 as they participated in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Red and whites were beaten by Juventus in the two-legged tie. It is well known that Panathinaikos are considered the club’s bitterest rivals and the two teams share a great and long-standing rivalry.
The likes of AEK and PAOK are regarded as Olympiakos’ fierce opponents as well. The likes of Javier Saviola, Kevin Mirallas, Darko Kovacevic, Lomana LuaLua, Joel Campbell, Rivaldo and Marko Pantelic are notable footballers who played for the club in the past. Olympiakos fans are friends with Red Star Belgrade supporters.
Brighton
Southampton
Barcelona
Las Palmas 
Crystal Palace
Newcastle 
Borussia Dortmund 
Bayern Munich 
West Ham
Arsenal
Chelsea 
