Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Wed 11 March 2026 18:10, UK

Aston Villa will be licking their lips at the prospect of taking on Lille when they visit Stade Pierre-Mauroy for a Europa League round-of-16 clash on Thursday.

Unai Emery is the greatest manager in the competition’s history, winning the Europa League three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.

It’s no shock that the Villa Park outfit are tipped to go far in the tournament, especially given the success they experienced in recent European campaigns under the Spaniard.

Villa have won four of their last five away matches in Europe, and based on the supercomputer’s prediction for the Lille clash, that impressive form looks set to continue.

• Read more: Aston Villa told exactly what to expect as Europa League ‘risk’ predicted vs Lille – Exclusive

Aston Villa predicted as heavy favourites vs Lille

Although Villa lost 2-1 to Go Ahead Eagles in November, they won all of their other matches, and only missed out on top spot due to goal difference.

These results included away wins over Fenerbahce and Feyenoord, while they saw off the likes of Bologna and RB Salzburg in B6.

According to Opta‘s supercomputer, Emery’s side will continue their winning run in the Europa League.

• Aston Villa have been given a 57.6 per cent chance of claiming a first-leg advantage
• Lille have a 20.9 per cent chance of securing the win
• A draw has been given a 21.5 per cent probability of occurring

The Villans have played 10 games against French opponents in Europe, losing only three of those meetings.

They’ve never actually won a European game in France, and although that seems staggering, they have visited the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bordeaux, Rennes and Lille.

All of those teams have hostile atmospheres, but Villa will fancy their chances of making history if they win the first leg on Thursday.

While Opta believes Villa are the overwhelming favourites to win the whole competition, Emery’s side should be wary of several other teams.

• Read more: Supercomputer predicts most likely outcome for Aston Villa in Europa League this season

Which other teams are among the favourites to win the Europa League?

Their main contenders are Lyon, but the earliest time they could play against the French outfit is in the final.

Paulo Fonseca’s men have been impressive on all fronts this season, and they scored the most goals of any side in the league phase.

The likes of Porto and Roma are fighting for Champions League places in their respective leagues, and away games against them will be far from simple.

And Nottingham Forest could also be a tricky opponent, with Vitor Pereira’s side knocking Fenerbahce out in the playoff round.

It will be far from easy for Villa, who need to remain focused on a side Lille that can certainly cause problems of their own.

For even more Aston Villa news and updates, head over to Football Insider.