Aston Villa and Celtic meet in a huge all-British showdown in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday with both sides still very much in contention to make the last 16.
Villa are ninth in the table going into the final matchday of the League Phase but will be hoping a home victory over the Hoops will be enough to secure them a coveted top-eight place and direct progress through to the last 16.
Scottish giants Celtic, meanwhile, are in 18th place and could still squeeze into the top eight as well, although it looks more likely Brendan Rodgers' side will have to settle for a spot in the play-offs.
Contents |
Prediction | BetSie Supercomputer % | Odds | Odds % |
Aston Villa to win | 72.7% | 64.5% | |
Aston Villa win 3-1 | N/A | 8.5% |
Tips | Current Odds |
Aston Villa to win and both teams to score | |
Jhon Duran to score anytime | |
Leon Bailey - Over 0.5 shots on target |
Aston Villa to win and both teams to score - 2/1
Villa have enjoyed their debut season in the UEFA Champions League as the 1982 European Cup winners have returned to compete at the highest level in club football on the continent for the first time in 41 years.
Unai Emery's side started the campaign with a bang, beating Young Boys 3-0 away before a memorable 1-0 home success over German giants Bayern Munich at a bouncing Villa Park.
The Premier League side were flying high in the table after then seeing off Bologna 2-0 at home and even though they have been unable to maintain their early winning form, the Villans are still well placed to make the top eight with one game to play.
Going down 1-0 at Club Brugge was a setback but Villa responded with a goalless draw with Juventus and an important 3-2 win at RB Leipzig before slipping to a 1-0 defeat at Monaco last time out.
They remain a formidable force at home, losing just twice in all competitions at Villa Park this season, and they can stay unbeaten in front of their own fans in this competition by overcoming Celtic.
The Bhoys, who are guaranteed a play-off place at least after their 1-0 home win over Young Boys last week, have only lost once in the League Phase - a 7-1 Matchday Two hammering at Borussia Dortmund - and have demonstrated their ability to compete at this level with successive goalless draws away in the competition to Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb.
Rodgers' men are 10 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership and will be well rested after their weekend league game against Dundee was called off because of storm damage at Celtic Park.
They have scored in each of their last six games, racking up a total of 15 goals in that spell, and they can once again get on the scoresheet at Villa Park, even if it will probably not be enough to secure a famous victory.
Jhon Duran to score anytime - 7/4
Jhon Duran has found himself back on the bench in recent weeks for Villa after serving a three-game ban at the start of the year.
Emery has preferred Ollie Watkins up front, although Duran has come on as a sub in the club's last three games against Arsenal, Monaco and, on Sunday, West Ham.
He may not be back in the starting line-up for Wednesday's tie but the Colombia international has scored six goals after coming on as a substitute in all competitions for Villa this season so is well used to making a big impact from the bench.
Overall the striker's stats for the season are impressive as Duran has scored 12 goals in all competitions, including three in Europe, and he could be the man to help inspire Villa again on the big occasion this week.
Leon Bailey - Over 0.5 shots on target - 4/5
Leon Bailey is another of Villa's attacking threats and he can cause Celtic problems on Wednesday.
The 27-year-old has been dangerous in the final third recently, managing two shots on target in the narrow defeat to Monaco and then registering one effort on target on Sunday in the draw with the Hammers in the Premier League.
Bailey should be able to test Hoops keeper Kasper Schmeichel at least once in the Matchday Eight showdown at Villa Park.
Aston Villa | 72.7% |
Draw | 16.8% |
Celtic | 10.4% |
The odds suggest that Aston Villa have a 64.5% chance of beating Celtic on Wednesday night, while the BetSie Supercomputer believes there is a 72.7% chance of this happening.
The BetSie Supercomputer believes Celtic have a 10.4% of claiming a famous away victory at Villa Park.
A 3-1 victory for Aston Villa has an 8.5% chance of happening according to the odds.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Team: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Digne, Maatsen; Kamara, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins.
Formation: 4-3-3
Team: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Engels, McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn, Idah, Yang.
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