Aston Villa vs Ajax predictions: Watkins ready to make European impact
- Aston Villa won all three of their Conference League Group E games
- Ajax took just one point from their three Europa League Group B games
- Recommended bet: Aston Villa to win and Ollie Watkins to score
Aston Villa and Ajax could not be separated in last week's first leg of their Europa Conference League last 16 tie, drawing 0-0 in Amsterdam.
The Villans were then way off the pace in Sunday's 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham and will need to find some inspiration to overcome an admittedly underpowered Ajax side.
They have lost four in a row away to English opponents, including a 2-0 Europa League loss to Brighton in October.
Ajax have endured a chaotic season, sacking Maurice Steijn in the days before their defeat at the Amex.
Club stalwart John van 't Schip has overseen some improvement, but not enough to see them feature any better than fifth in the Eredivisie standings, 29 points adrift of leaders PSV Eindhoven.
This competition appears their best chance of qualifying for Europe for next season but the hosts have Unai Emery at the helm and he is sure to have a masterplan to see them through, with Ollie Watkins expected to be the fulcrum.
Team news
Captain John McGinn will be available for Villa ahead of his domestic suspension, while Ezri Konsa and Nicolo Zaniolo are banned.
Moussa Diaby, Alex Moreno and Diego Carlos could be promoted from the bench, with Emi Buendia, Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings (all knee) sidelined.
Jhon Duran is still out with a hamstring injury and the game could come too early for Jacob Ramsay.
Ajax can recall Devyne Rensch following his suspension in Sunday's 2-2 draw against Fortuna Sittard, but Tristan Gooijer is out following his red card last week.
Experienced Dutch internationals Steven Bergwijn (muscle) and Steven Berghuis (knee) are also absent.
The stats
Villa beat Hibernian 3-0 at home in the qualifiers before defeating Zrinjski 1-0, AZ 2-1 and Legia Warsaw 2-1.
Their defeat to Tottenham means they have now lost four of their last five matches at home, having been defeated just once in 15 competitive outings before that.
Ajax failed to win any of their group games in the Europa League and, although they beat Bodo/Glimt in the play-off rounds for this stage, they have generally struggled on the road, losing their last two Eredivisie away trips.
Villa talisman Watkins has failed to score in his last two Conference League outings, but did score in the first half of the two matches before that.
Prediction
Emery could be Villa's trump card, with the Spaniard an expert in European competitions, winning the Europa League three times with Sevilla and lifting the trophy again when in charge of Villarreal.
He also lost in the final when in charge of Arsenal and will not see the Conference League as a step down, as he looks to add to his CV as he aims to guide his current club into the Champions League.
Emery's improvement of certain players has been striking, with Watkins among those who have benefitted.
The 28-year-old had netted five times in three games prior to the first-leg draw and defeat to Spurs and will see this game as a chance to show he can perform in Europe.
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