Aston Villa vs Olympiacos LIVE: Europa Conference League latest ...

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.

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

• Kick-off at 8pm, live on TNT Sports

• Villa XI: Olsen, Cash, Konsa, Lenglet, Digne, Bailey, McGinn, Luiz, Rogers, Diaby, Watkins

• Olympiacos XI: Tzolakis, Rodinei, Retsos, Carmo, Ortega, Hezze, Iborra, Chiquinho, Podence, El Kaabi, Fortounis.

• No goal - Bailey heads in from close range but Lenglet’s foul means it’s ruled out

• GOAL! 16’ - El Kaabi scores, the offside flag goes up - but a VAR check says it stands! (0-1)

• GOAL! 28’ - El Kaabi nets his brace with a fine run and finish under Olsen (0-2)

• GOAL! 45’ - Watkins finishes brilliantly right before half time (1-2)

GOAL! 45’ - Aston Villa 1-2 Olympiacos

20:48 , Karl Matchett

Brilliant move, excellent finish!

Watkins has been anonymous for so much of this first half but Cash and Diaby combine, Watkins makes the diagonal run and his first-time finish is absolutely inch-perfect, past the keeper and right into the far corner!

Back in the game and the tie - they still trail 2-1 but Villa have the goal before half-time they wanted.

44’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos

20:46 , Karl Matchett

Bailey bursts into the box, tricks his man, sprints past him and goes to ground under a challenge - referee immediately waves it away as the fans scream for a penalty!

Tell you what on the replay it looks a lot like Ortega has tripped him on the way past, one leg through Bailey’s, but play on is the word and nothing from the VAR for the ref to look again.

Fortunate, the defender. Into stoppage time we go and there will be three minutes.

42’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos

20:43 , Karl Matchett

Cash is spoken to by the ref for jumping straight through Podence to win a header. Villa losing all focus here at the moment and the fans fuming too at every decision going against them. Nothing that the ref has done wrong though - Olympiacos are simply gaming matters better than Villa are.

Bailey exemplifies that by trying to whack the ball against Podence and only managing to give away a corner.

38’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos

20:40 , Karl Matchett

Bit scruffy but McGinn works an angle from the free-kick and gets in a shot, which is blocked and deflected behind. The Scot then takes the corner but it’s poor and cleared by the first man.

Villa need him and a few others to step up here to get themselves back into the tie.

Luiz starts dropping deeper looking to do just that, getting himself on the ball and trying to start moves with a bit more pace and penetration. The fans respond and urge the team on with renewed vigour.

36’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos

20:38 , Karl Matchett

The home fans getting a little irate at visiting players going to ground and the stoppages in the game. Get used to it, is all we can really say - sides in Europe at this stage are going to do exactly that.

Watkins is fouled outside the box and it’s a great chance to deliver a dangerous ball into the box from the right flank.

Andrea Belotti has scored another for Fiorentina - they now lead 2-1.

32’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos

20:36 , Karl Matchett

Bailey beats his man and fires into the side-netting via a deflection. Cash went down in the box just beforehand but the ref signalled no foul and played on for the shot.

Unai Emery has just spent about three minutes ranting at Olsen and Douglas Luiz during an injury break in play.

GOAL! 28’ - Aston Villa 0-2 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:30 , Karl Matchett

Another goal! What a brilliant move and a great finish. Podence lofts a fantastic pass over the defence, El Kaabi runs through past the static centre-backs, nods it past Olsen and tucks his first-time finish home under the ‘keeper’s dive and into the near post.

2-0 to Olympiacos and Emery and his team have a huge job on their hands now.

24’ - Aston Villa 0-1 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:28 , Karl Matchett

Villa’s first game against Greek opponents tonight. So far, not so good - officiating decisions for two goalscoring chances have not fallen in their favour.

Olympiacos are far more aggressive in midfield so far in this half and that’s stopping Villa getting into the final third - and starting their own counter-attacks very quickly.

20’ - Aston Villa 0-1 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:25 , Karl Matchett

Villa need a bit of a response here, they’ve struggled to get too many passes strung together and those early spaces the wide men were fashioning have definitely dried up. Unai Emery prowls the touchline looking a bit concerned.

Equaliser in the other semi-final - Fiorentina 1-1 Club Brugge now.

In the Europa League semis it’s Roma 0-0 Leverkusen and Marseille 1-1 Atalanta.

GOAL! 16’ - Aston Villa 0-1 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:19 , Karl Matchett

Olympiacos’ turn to celebrate and then be bewildered. El Kaabi runs through and buries his shot past Olsen but the offside flag is straight up.

Of course it goes to VAR...and the referee is told a different outcome - looks like Cash just played him on and the Greeks are in front!

1-0 to Olympiacos!

14’ - Aston Villa 0-0 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:16 , Karl Matchett

Another opening for Villa goes somewhat begging, this time after Diaby winds past two challenges and puts his pass across the box, but eventually Digne’s shot is blocked at close quarters.

Douglas Luiz is next to try his luck but it’s saved on the bounce by the Olympiacos keeper. Watkins is struggling with what looks like an arm injury but he’s continuing for now.

NO GOAL! 9’ - Aston Villa 0-0 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:11 , Karl Matchett

Villa have the ball in the net and Bailey runs away celebrating...but the whistle has gone and the goal doesn’t stand! A nice corner routine is worked left to right, Konsa puts it back across the six-yard box and Bailey is unmarked to head home from two yards.

It seems to be Lenglet again though, pulling his man down in the middle, and the goal is ruled out.

8’ - Aston Villa 0-0 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:08 , Karl Matchett

Brilliant turn and acceleration from Rogers - beats his man, opens his body and curls in a low shot towards the far corner which Tzolakis has to stretch to tip wide!

First moment of danger for the home side. From the resulting corner Lenglet is climbing and falling all over his man and concedes a free-kick, chance gone.

After a nervy start it’s more controlled and assured now from Villa in the last few minutes.

4’ - Aston Villa 0-0 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:05 , Karl Matchett

What a chance. A lofted pass into the far post zone from Podence and Iborra is there totally unmarked - his flicked header is just reached by Olsen’s fingertips to clear the crossbar! Perhaps El Kaabi got in his way a little if anything but Villa got a lucky escape.

In the other semi-final there’s already been a goal - Fiorentina are 1-0 up at home to Club Brugge.

1’ - Aston Villa 0-0 Olympiacos - LIVE

20:01 , Karl Matchett

Underway at Villa Park! Olympiacos in a grey and orange patterned strip, Villa in their classic colours. Huge noise, huge game - here we go.

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

19:56 , Karl Matchett

Players are in the tunnel and all ready to emerge onto the Villa Park pitch. John McGinn leading the Villa side out, Robin Olsen behind him as the stand-in goalkeeper. How much will they miss Emi Martinez tonight?

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

19:45 , Karl Matchett

The aforementioned news on European spots of course impacts Villa’s need to finish in the top four, but they won’t worry about that tonight and can’t do anything about it anyway - Spurs are currently in action at Chelsea and you can follow that live blog here if you wish:

Chelsea vs Tottenham LIVE: Latest Premier League updates

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

19:36 , Karl Matchett

The Premier League has missed out on a fifth Champions League spot for next season to the Bundesliga.

One club from each of the two countries who collectively perform best in European club competition this season are granted additional places in the new-look 36-team league phase being introduced for the 2024-25 season.

Borussia Dortmund’s semi-final first leg victory over Paris St Germain on Wednesday night sealed the second spot for Germany.

Italy wrapped up the first ‘European Performance Spot’ (EPS) last month, and it now means that no matter how well Aston Villa do in the Europa Conference League, England cannot secure an extra place.

Villa must now hold on to fourth spot in the Premier League in order to qualify for the Champions League. They are seven points ahead of Tottenham, but Spurs have two games in hand on Unai Emery‘s team.

Dortmund would be the team to benefit from the second EPS as they currently occupy fifth place in the Bundesliga.

If Dortmund go on to win this season’s Champions League, the team finishing sixth - currently Eintracht Frankfurt - would secure the EPS.

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

19:26 , Karl Matchett

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!

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

19:07 , Karl Matchett

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.

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

19:05 , Karl Matchett

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

Unai Emery has total trust in Aston Villa’s deputy goalkeeper Robin Olsen

18:50 , Karl Matchett

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.

Unai Emery has total trust in Aston Villa’s deputy goalkeeper Robin Olsen

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

18:40 , Karl Matchett

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.

The hidden gems and Premier League misfits leading Olympiacos to Greek football history

18:30 , Karl Matchett

Aston Villa, the only English left in Europe, are preparing for a semi-final in the Europa Conference League, but ultimately believe they will eventually reach a higher place than the third tier of European club football.

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:

The Premier League misfits guiding Olympiacos to Greek football history

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

18:20 , The Independent

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Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

18:10 , Karl Matchett

Aston Villa and Olympiacos vie for a place in a European final as the two clubs meet in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

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.

Is Aston Villa v Olympiacos on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch

Aston Villa vs Olympiacos - LIVE

17:42 , Karl Matchett

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.