The second legs of the Europa Conference League semi-finals take place this week, with a fixture each on Wednesday and Thursday.
First, last year's beaten finalists, Fiorentina, take a 3-2 lead to Club Brugge before Olympiakos aim to defend their 4-2 advantage at home to Aston Villa.
The winners of both ties will go on to meet in the showpiece at Athens' AEK Arena on May 29, and those in front are backed to stay ahead and qualify for only this tournament's third-ever final.
BRUGGE VS FIORENTINA
- Draw
- Over 3.5 Goals
OLYMPIAKOS VS ASTON VILLA
- Olympiakos to win
- Ayoub El-Kaabi anytime goalscorer
Club Brugge vs Fiorentina
The second leg between Brugge and Fiorentina has been moved to Wednesday due to an annual cultural event being held in the Belgian city on Thursday.
Usually playing on a Wednesday in this competition is reserved for the final and both have valid cases to feel they can book their place in the showpiece at Athens' AEK Arena on May 29.
M'Bala Nzola's stoppage-time strike means Fiorentina hold a one-goal advantage heading to the Jan Breydelstadion, but last Thursday's game told the story of their season. The Viola were wasteful in front of goal, tallying 31 shots but only hitting the target with 10.
That was in stark contrast to Brugge, whose five efforts resulted in two goals and their confidence will have been supplemented by Sunday's 2-1 win at Antwerp.
The Blauw-Zwart have won their last six at home, keeping clean sheets in four of those games, and interim boss Nicky Hayen looks set to get the job permanently.
Despite European qualification through Serie A still being in the balance, Fiorentina have rotated for their last two league games.
After losing last year's final 2-1 to West Ham in Prague, Vincenzo Italiano clearly has his heart set on this competition and his side are on a club-record run of 12 unbeaten in European matches.
Their away form has been mixed, drawing three of their last five in Europe, but a fourth tie would not be a bad result and looks a likely outcome.
However, do not expect a routine result, as things are rarely simple when Italiano's side are involved.
They make chances but also concede them, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last four games in all competitions, with over 3.5 goals scored in three of those.
That run was punctuated by Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Hellas Verona but can be caveated by the Bentegodi outfit averaging less than a goal a game in this season's Serie A.
Brugge have scored three or more goals in five of their last six at home but their recent defensive prowess could again be tested. The Viola's forwards might be wasteful, but they still drag defences about - it is putting the ball in the net that can be problematic, although the visitors have scored in their last seven games in all competitions including their extra-time strikes against Viktoria Plzen.
An entertaining fixture similar to last week's five-goal thriller could be on the cards, with Over 3.5 goals something to look for.
A draw and over 3.5 goals also brings a potential 2-2 correct scoreline into play and don't be surprised if Fiorentina puts on another late show.
Despite his team's profligacy in front of goal, Nzola's 91st-minute winner always felt like it was coming, while his colleague Antonin Barak's last three European goals, including a 95th-minute winner at Maccabi Haifa, have all come in the second half of games.
Brugge have also scored 10 second half goals in their last five matches and have goals throughout their squad with Hans Vanaken and Thiago both netting five times in this competition following their strikes in Florence, while Andreas Skov Olsen has four to his name.
Olympiakos vs Aston Villa
There looks less jeopardy in Thursday's second semi-final, where Olympiakos host Aston Villa with a 4-2 advantage.
Everything seemed to go wrong for the Villans in the first game, and they head to Piraeus aiming to overturn a two-goal deficit against a side that has won its last four at home.
Like Fiorentina's quest to avenge last year's final defeat, the Red-White also have special motivation to win this tournament. Reaching the showpiece would see them emulate great rivals and 1971 European Cup finalists Panathinaikos in qualifying for a major European showpiece.
Winning would also be made more special with the final played at the home of one of their Athens rivals, AEK.
Striker Ayoub El-Kaabi scored a hat-trick in the first leg, and he and his teammates will be fresh after having the weekend off.
Villa, meanwhile, looked leggy in their 1-0 defeat at Brighton but expect them to start well as Unai Emery looks to demonstrate his European pedigree. However, home boss Jose Luis Mendilibar won last season's Europa League with Sevilla and his team should again prove too good at a very handy price.
Another bet to follow could be El-Kaabi as an anytime scorer. The Moroccan was brilliant in the first leg, continually finding gaps to exploit in the Villans' porous back-line.
El-Kaabi now has eight Conference League goals for the campaign, level with Maccabi Tel Avivi's Eran Zahavi. This is an impressive total, improved by the fact that all of those goals have come in 2024 after his team was eliminated from the Europa League.
He netted twice in qualifying for that tournament before scoring three times to no avail in the group stages and clearly enjoys testing himself in continental competition.
Villa's defence has looked increasingly weary in recent weeks, and the 30-year-old's movement is likely to prove troublesome. He is worth a look in the anytime markets and possibly in the multiscorer odds.
AYOUB EL-KAABI TO SCORE ANYTIME
