Boasting an exceptional European record with three Europa League titles and two runners-up medals to his name, Unai Emery is now targeting Conference League glory in his first full season with Aston Villa following a nail-biting two-legged clash with Lille a fortnight ago.
The Lions initially let a 2-1 first-leg lead slip against French outfit Lille, but Matty Cash restored parity to send the closely-fought tie to penalties, with Emiliano Martinez starring with two spot-kick saves to help Villa prevail 4-3 in the shootout.
Villa have put together a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions that has been bookended by Premier League draws against Brentford and Chelsea in which they let two-goal leads slip, most recently drawing 2-2 at home with the latter last weekend even though they were leading at half time.
Despite that, Emery’s side remain on course to secure Champions League football for next season as they sit fourth in the Premier League table and seven points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have two games in hand but lost to rivals Arsenal last time out.
Villa’s ability to balance European and domestic duties will be put to the test once again over the next seven days, and although they have never faced Greek opposition before, they will fancy their chances of securing a positive first-leg result on Thursday as they boast a 100% record across six home matches in this season’s competition; they have also failed to score in just one of their last 31 European home games.
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Since his appointment as manager in mid-February, Jose Luis Mendilibar has won 12 of his 17 games in charge of Olympiacos across all competitions, with his side extending their seven-game winless run last weekend courtesy of a comfortable 4-1 Greek Super League victory over Lamia.
Currently trailing in a four-way title race, 47-time Super League champions Olympiacos must put their domestic duties to one side and shift their focus to the Conference League, with Mendilibar – who led Sevilla to Europa League glory last season – tasked with steering the Red-Whites to a positive result in their tricky first-leg clash at Aston Villa.
Success in Birmingham could prove challenging, though, as Olympiacos have won just three of their previous 19 European trips to England, most recently losing 1-0 at West Ham United in the Europa League group stage in November last year – all three victories during this run have come against Arsenal.
