Lille vs Aston Villa preview: Team news, lineups, prediction
Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will turn their attention to the Europa League when they travel to face Lille on Thursday.
The Villans are winless in their last four matches in all competitions, and they head into this round-of-16 first-leg clash in desperate need of a win.
Having finished second in the Europa League group phase, Villa will feel confident that they can go far in the competition, especially with Emery at the helm.
But they have been handed a tough draw, and they’ll have to find a way of getting past Bruno Genesio’s Lille side, who have lost just twice since the start of February.
Villa News highlights everything you need to know ahead of Thursday’s match at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Form guide
Lille (last six games all comps): D W W W L D
Aston Villa (last six games all comps): L L D L W D
Head-to-head
Villa have come up against the French side four times in their history, winning just once in those matches.
In the 2023-24 Conference League, both teams met in the quarter-finals, with Villa prevailing on penalties despite losing the second leg 2-1.
Looking at their record against French sides as a whole, Villa have only lost three of the 10 meetings, and their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain last season still holds painful memories.
Given that their record against Lille and French teams in general is mixed, Villa will have to be at their best on Thursday evening.
- Read more: Aston Villa told exactly what to expect as Europa League ‘risk’ predicted vs Lille – Exclusive
Team news and predicted lineups
John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara are all still sidelined with long-term issues, although the Scotland international could return to action in the next two weeks.
Matty Cash was subbed off in the defeat to Chelsea last Wednesday, and although it is not a serious injury, Emery may use Bogarde at right-back.
Pau Torres is also expected to return to the team in place of Tyrone Mings, while Marco Bizot could resume his role as the starting goalkeeper in the Europa League, taking Emi Martinez’s place.
As for Lille, they currently have four players out injured, including the likes of Ethan Mbappe and Hamza Igamane.
Lille predicted XI: Ozer; Santos, Mandi, Ngoy, Perraud; Andre, Mukau, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Haraldsson, Perrin; Giroud
Aston Villa predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Sancho, Buendia, Rogers; Abraham
We say: Lille 1-1 Aston Villa
It certainly won’t be an easy match for Villa, but they should have enough to earn a draw against Genesio’s inconsistent side.
Lille have dropped points at home to Lorient and Brest in recent weeks, and it’s no shock that they sit sixth in Ligue 1.
Of course, Villa’s struggles must be taken into account, and no fan will feel overly confident about securing an away win.
Therefore, a 1-1 draw seems to be the most likely outcome, and Emery will definitely be pleased if his side can take a positive result back to Villa Park for the second leg.
For even more Aston Villa news and updates, head over to Football Insider.