Olivier Giroud could haunt Aston Villa once again as damning career stats emerge pre-Lille tie
Aston Villa won’t be looking forward to facing Olivier Giroud when they travel to Lille on Thursday.
The Villans are in a terrible run of form and will be hoping that a week’s rest will help them get over the 4-1 defeat against Chelsea at Villa Park.
Things certainly won’t be easy as the Europa League returns to their calendar for the first time since the 3-2 win against RB Salzburg in January.
An away day to Lille for the second time in as many years represents a tough task, just as it did in the Conference League two years ago.
The Ligue 1 side may have an ideal advantage in the shape of Giroud ahead of the two-legged clash with the claret and blue outfit.
Oliver Giroud has stellar record vs Aston Villa
Unai Emery’s side have certainly struggled defensively in recent weeks and need things to change quickly or risk destroying their season.
Making their status as favourites count in the Europa League could act as the perfect distraction to help get back to winning ways.
Villa will be hoping to get one over the French side, but they face a sizable threat in the shape of Giroud ahead of their trip to Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The Frenchman has scored 10 goals against Aston Villa in his career and has scored in each of his last eight matches against the B6 side.
The Sofascore graphic above just highlights how fruitful clashes against the B6 outfit have been for the number nine.
Between 2013 and December 2020, he was on fire against the Villans, to the point where he has scored more goals against Villa than any other side in his career.
Now, 2026 provides the ex-Arsenal man with a new opportunity to add to that record and extend it further.
Aston Villa nearly signed Giroud from Chelsea
The Lille number nine caused plenty of problems for the B6 side over the years, but things could have been so different.
Back in January 2020, Dean Smith was determined to bring the Chelsea man to Villa Park as a new striker option.
Giroud was viewed as a preferred signing at the time, with reports suggesting that the Villans would have done everything they could to sign him.
The irony is, after dismantling Villa over the years, the striker then rejected them due to their lowly status in the Premier League.
Unai Emery and Co. now have the perfect chance to get one back against the forward when they meet in the Europa League.
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