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Martinez is fit for Villa but the bench is lacking depth.
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Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez; Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Digne; Cash, McGinn, Douglas Luiz; Diaby, Watkins, Bailey
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Subs: Gauci, Olsen, Lenglet, Duran, Iroegbunam, Kesler-Hayden, Patterson, Munroe, Kellyman, Young
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Can Aston Villa turn this around? Absolutely. They are the better team on paper and have the quality in their ranks to win 2-0 away to Olympiakos.
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Unfortunately, theory and reality are two very different things because it is going to be rocking in Piraeus. The fans will be vociferous in their support in order to get Olympiakos over the line after their fantastic first leg performance. Olympiakos have never made it to a European final and it would be a monumental achievement for Greek football.
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In Unai Emery Aston Villa have a manager who knows how to get through these difficult situations in Europe. He will have made it clear that last week’s efforts were unacceptable and they need to right some wrongs. It feels like one of those nights where an early goals is key to silence the home crowd and put some doubt back in their minds.
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Here’s to a cracker.
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Kick-off: 8pm BST
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important events
The home fans remained inside the ground for some time.
Olympiakos starting lineup
Olympiakos (4-3-3): Tsolakis.Rodinay, Carmo, Restos, Cuini; Ibora, Chiquinho, Hetze. Fortunis, El Kaabi, Podence.
Aston Villa starting lineup
Martinez is a good fit for Villa, but they lack depth on the bench.
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Martinez. Consa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Digne. Cash, McGinn, and Douglas Lewis.Diaby, Watkins, Bailey
sub: Gauci, Olsen, Lenglet, Duran, Irogbunam, Kessler-Hayden, Patterson, Munro, Kellyman, Young.
Is the goalkeeper suitable to be a starter?
A quiet library at night.
Just under two hours until kick-off and the Olympiakos Ultras are already heating up here. The rest of the stadium is pretty empty by comparison. Aston Villa have a big game coming up and will have to play in a noisy atmosphere. @footballontnt 7 p.m., TNT Sports 1. #UECL pic.twitter.com/zxcoEPDBqA
— Jules Breach (@julesbreach) May 9, 2024
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Just under two hours until kick-off and the Olympiakos Ultras are already heating up here. The rest of the stadium is pretty empty by comparison. Aston Villa have a big game coming up and will have to play in a noisy atmosphere. @footballontnt 7 p.m., TNT Sports 1. #UECL pic.twitter.com/zxcoEPDBqA
— Jules Breach (@julesbreach) May 9, 2024
preamble
Can Aston Villa turn this around? absolutely. They are the better team on paper and have the quality to beat Olympiakos 2-0 away.
Unfortunately, theory and reality are one thing, as you can expect a lot of trouble in Piraeus. After a great first leg performance, fans will be cheering loudly to get Olympiakos over the line. Olympiakos have never reached a European final before, and this would be a monumental achievement for Greek football.
In Unai Emery Aston Villa have a manager who knows how to get through difficult situations in Europe. He would have made it clear that last week’s efforts were unacceptable and that some wrongs needed to be righted. It feels like one of those nights where an early goal will be key to silencing the home crowd and putting doubt back into their minds.
This is a cracker.
Kick-off: 8pm (BST)
