Aston Villa vs Celtic Prediction: Champions League Betting Odds & Picks
Aston Villa vs Celtic betting picks
Although Aston Villa and Celtic have already qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League, there’s still plenty at stake in a clash between English and Scottish clubs on Wednesday (3pm ET, DAZN).
Villa could qualify automatically for the round of 16 with a win or even a point if results elsewhere go in their favour. Celtic could also make a dramatic leap into the top eight, although that would take an incredible set of results elsewhere for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
Unai Emery’s missed the chance to seal an automatic place in the round of 16 last time out, suffering a 1-0 defeat to Monaco on the road.
Villa have been up and down in recent weeks, mounting a second-half comeback to earn a point against Arsenal, but were underwhelming in their loss at Monaco and largely ineffective in a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
They need to raise their levels to compete for the Champions League crown, with betting sites pricing them as outsiders at +5000. Celtic produced a fine performance to seal their place in the knock-out phase, defeating Young Boys 1-0 last time out.
The Bhoys are unbeaten in seven since their defeat to Rangers in the Old Firm at the start of January, but will have their work cut out for them at Villa Park. You can find odds of +500 for the Bhoys to win on the road with soccer betting sites, who make Villa firm favourites at -175.
Aston Villa vs Celtic Picks: Villa To Grind Out Win
Villa were handed a tough slate of Champions League home matches in the league phase. However, Emery’s side have come through games against Bayern Munich, Juventus and Bologna unbeaten and without conceding a goal.
They’ve claimed seven of their 13 points at Villa Park and it has been the foundation of their charge towards the knockout phase. Defensive resilience has not always been a core part of Villa’s form under Emery, but it has certainly worked at home.
With Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran on the roster, Villa carry a big offensive threat.
Celtic were thrashed 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund in their first road match of the campaign, but they’ve responded well, playing out goalless draws against Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb.
We’re not expecting a flurry of goals, considering the records of the two sides in the competition this season.
But, with the lure of an automatic round of 16 berth at stake, Villa will have plenty of motivation to get over line. It may not be straightforward, and that’s why we’re leaning for a Villa win and pairing it with under 2.5 goals on betting apps.
Aston Villa vs Celtic prediction 1: Aston Villa to win and under 2.5 goals (+333 888Sport)
Aston Villa vs Celtic Picks: Watkins To Break His Duck
Watkins has enjoyed another standout season for the Villans, but he has yet to open his account in the Champions League. The England international has started six of Villa’s seven UCL matches and mustered 10 attempts at goal, only to fall short of finding the back of the net.
For Villa to make a serious charge towards the latter stages of the competition, Watkins will need to start firing on all cylinders.
He has two assists to his name, and he reached 100 goal involvements in his Premier League career last weekend when he teed up Jacob Ramsey for Villa’s opener against West Ham. But, he needs to be more proactive himself in front of goal.
Chances may be few and far between against a Celtic side that has been stout at the back since their horrendous night in Dortmund. We like the odds on new betting sites for Watkins to break the deadlock, which may be the decisive effort in the game.
Aston Villa vs Celtic prediction 2: Ollie Watkins first goalscorer (+380 FanDuel)
