Premier League 2024-25 Betting Guide: Aston Villa

Aston Villa stunned the Premier League with a remarkable fourth-placed finish last season. Can Unai Emery's men replicate that success alongside their Champions League pursuits this time around?

We take a look at Villa's prospects and how the Midlanders should be approached from a betting perspective ahead of the new season.

How did Aston Villa perform in 2023-24?

A phenomenal effort culminated in Villa's qualification for the Champions League for the first time since the competition was revamped in 1992.

Emery's side were buoyed by the remarkable form of striker Ollie Watkins, who finished the season with a whopping 27 goals to his name. The Englishman also impressed in the creativity charts, finishing with the joint-highest amount of assists alongside winger Leon Bailey (13). 

Clean sheets were difficult to come by, though, with Villa managing just eight in the league. Nevertheless, Emery's men were fantastic in away fixtures, boasting the fourth-best record in the Premier League on their travels.

Aston Villa's odds ahead of 2024-25

Aston Villa to win the Premier League - 66/1 (General)

Aston Villa to finish in the top four - 7/2 (SpreadEx)

Aston Villa to win the Champions League - 66/1 (BetFred)

Aston Villa to win the FA Cup - 16/1 (BetVictor)

Aston Villa to win the League Cup - 18/1 (BetWay)

Striker Ollie Watkins fired Aston Villa to Champions League qualification for the first time in their history. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

Aston Villa key summer transfer business

Incomings

Amadou Onana (Everton, £50m)

Ian Maatsen (Chelsea, £37.5m)

Jaden Philogene (Hull, £20m)

Cameron Archer (Sheffield United, £14m)

Samuel Iling-Junior (Juventus, £11.8m)

Enzo Barrenechea (Juventus, £6.7m)

Lewis Dobbin (Everton, undisclosed)

Ross Barkley (Luton Town, undisclosed)

Outgoings

Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad, £52m)

Douglas Luiz (Juventus, £21m)

Omari Kellyman (Chelsea, £19m)

Tim Iroegbunam (Everton, £9m)

Philippe Coutinho (Vasco da Gama, loan)

Morgan Sanson (Nice, undisclosed)

Calum Chambers (Released)

Seb Revan (Wrexham, undisclosed)

Viljami Senisalo (Celtic, £1m)

Ben Chrisene (Norwich City, free)

Louie Barry (Stockport County, loan)

Tommi O'Reilly (Shrewsbury Town, loan)

Lewis Dobbin (West Brom, loan)

Josh Feeney (Shrewsbury, loan)

Onana came in from Everton to replace the departing Douglas Luiz. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

What our Aston Villa expert says

Cian Cheesbrough (@Cian_Cheese): It’s hard to think of a fanbase more excited about the new season than Aston Villa’s right now as we embark on the Champions League!

Villa fans of a certain vintage will remember when we ruled Europe, but for me and many others, who had previously known nothing but near misses and slow decline, this is completely new territory.

The new adidas shirt — duly printed with the UCL logos — are flying off the shelves as we complete a remarkable journey from the Championship to the Champions League in just five seasons.

There is no denying that the last two years of that journey has been massively sped up by the arrival of Unai Emery and with the Spaniard in charge, there is genuine hope we could disrupt the elite at Europe’s top table as well as enjoy another strong season in the league.

But amongst all the excitement, there are plenty of question marks over where the team is at with just seven days to go before the season starts.

Profit and Sustainability Rules have prompted lots of ins and outs this summer and Villa could look a much different team to the one who stormed into fourth last season.

Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley all look like good signings, but the sale of Douglas Luiz to Juventus is a loss we are surely going to feel — particularly early on in the season — while last season’s marquee summer signing Moussa Diaby has also left.

Morgan Rogers looks like the man to replace him after a very promising first eight months at Villa Park, while having Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendia back from injury is a big boost, as will Tyrone Mings’ imminent return.

Ollie Watkins will shoulder a lot of the goalscoring burden once again but he is yet to even meet up with the squad following his Euro 2024 exploits.

All this leads to a feeling we may be slightly undercooked when our first game against West Ham comes around, with plenty of rumours about more player incomings still swirling.

Despite all this, Villa fans have full trust that Emery and club chief Monchi know what they’re doing — which is not a luxury we’ve previously had. So, we'll happily just sit back and enjoy the ride!

Ross Barkley returned to Villa after previously enjoying a loan spell with the club in 2020/21. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

What to expect from Aston Villa in 2024-25

Topping last season's efforts will require a huge effort from Unai Emery and Aston Villa. The Midlanders handled juggling both domestic and European football well last term but their qualification for this season's Champions League will increase pressure tenfold. 

Their recruitment has been superb this summer, though. Signing Amadou Onana from Everton is a more than capable replacement for the departed Douglas Luiz, and Ian Maatsen is a significant upgrade on their options at left-back. The return of Ross Barkley to Villa Park also looks an astute signing given his efforts for Luton Town last season. 

Securing consecutive top four finishes may be too much to ask given their Champions League commitments, but this Aston Villa side remains one overflowing with quality. 

Star striker Ollie Watkins established himself as one of the division's best goal-scorers last season, finishing with 19 league goals to his name. At the ripe age of 28, Watkins is now enjoying his prime years and will be further boosted by his Euro 2024 semi-final heroics in the summer. 

Another impressive season could see one of Europe's big boys come sniffing in the summer but, providing he remains injury free, Watkins should be backed to bag another shed load in a Villa shirt this season.

Odds Now's Best Bets for Aston Villa in 2024-25

Ollie Watkins to score 19.5+ Premier League goals @ 9/4 (SpreadEx)