Basel vs Aston Villa Prediction and Betting Tips

Basel welcome Aston Villa to St. Jakob-Park for a UEFA Europa League clash this Thursday. Basel are currently in 24th place in the table and will be hoping that they can secure some valuable points here, while Aston Villa are in third place and are amongst the competition's favorites.

So, can Aston Villa pick up another win, or will Basel manage to pull off an upset?

Basel vs Aston Villa Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

These two sides have faced off before, albeit back in 2001 in the now-defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup. Aston Villa ran out 5-2 winners in that tie on aggregate, but only came away with a 1-1 draw at St. Jakob-Park.
Aston Villa's last Europa League match saw them face another Swiss side in the form of Young Boys. The game ended 2-1 to the Villains after two goals from Donyell Malen, but Unai Emery's side will hope the crowd in this game is at least calmer, as Young Boys fans became violent inside Villa Park and caused chaos.
Basel's last European game saw them beaten 2-1 by Belgian side Genk, their third loss in the league stage of the competition. It is worth noting, though, that they have won both of their home games thus far in the Europa League, beating Stuttgart and FCSB.
Aston Villa will come into this match with plenty of momentum. Not only have they won four of their five Europa League matches this season, but they've also won nine of their last ten Premier League matches, and defeated league leaders Arsenal with a last-gasp goal on Saturday.
Basel are currently third in the Swiss Super League, but their home record in domestic competition has been strong too. They've only suffered two losses at St. Jakob-Park this season, most recently falling to FC Lugano in early November.

Basel vs Aston Villa Prediction

Basel are clearly a tough nut to crack at home, as evidenced by their strong domestic record there and two wins in the Europa League this season. However, this match might prove too tricky for them.

Aston Villa are on tremendous form right now, winning 13 of their last 15 matches, and Unai Emery's side seem to be able to find a way to beat any opponents they face.

Moreover, even if the Spanish boss decides to rotate his pack for this match, Aston Villa have more than a deep enough squad to get past Basel, who don't possess the depth of talent that the Premier League side can boast.

Overall, then, it might be one of Villa's tougher European games this season, but we should still expect an away win.

Prediction: Basel 1-3 Aston Villa

Basel vs Aston Villa Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Aston Villa to win.

Tip 2: Game to feature two or more goals - Yes (There have been at least two goals scored in four of Aston Villa's five European matches this season).

Bold Tip: Donyell Malen to score or assist for Aston Villa - Yes (Malen has scored three goals in the Europa League this season).