Unai Emery’s managerial record vs Lille to fill Aston Villa with huge second leg confidence
Unai Emery has a near-flawless managerial record against Lille, who are preparing to take on Aston Villa in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Aston Villa take a 1-0 lead into their Europa League Round-of-16 second leg tie with Lille thanks to Ollie Watkins’ second-half winner in the first leg, which wasn’t a game for the ages by any means.
However, with Villa losing to Man United on Sunday and Lille beating Rennes 2-1 in Ligue 1 on the same day, the two sides are set for a much more exciting clash at Villa Park on Thursday.
With their hopes of lifting the Premier League title now gone, Emery will be putting his sole focus on qualifying for next season’s Champions League by any means necessary, and winning the Europa League would see them do so.
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What is Unai Emery’s coaching record against Lille?
Emery is a wise and experienced manager, having started his coaching journey all the way back in 2004 when handed his first managerial role with the now-defunct Spanish side, Lorca Deportiva.
Since then, he’s evolved into one of European football’s best and most decorated coaches, winning the Europa League four times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, and a Ligue 1 title among numerous other trophies with Paris Saint-Germain.
In that time he’s spent in the dugout, the now-54-year-old has faced off against vast amounts of clubs across the continent, and often many times.
One of those is Aston Villa’s opponents on Thursday night, Lille, who he’s came up against 10 times across the course of his managerial career.
The history books certainly read in his favour too, because as detailed by Transfermarkt, the Villa boss has never lost a single one of those 10 meetings he’s had with Lille in his coaching career, winning eight of them and drawing twice respectively.
These results have come during his time spent in charge of Aston Villa, PSG and Valencia respectively, with his first encounter with the French side coming all the way back in the 2009-10 season in the Europa League.
When it comes to a European cup competition, Emery has never faced Lille past the quarter-final stages, which he did so with Villa in the 2023-24 season in the Conference League.
What is Lille’s away record like this season?
So, with Villa holding a slender one-goal lead heading into Thursday’s second leg, Lille will be confident of overturning the aggregate scoreline and leaving the West Midlands with a place in the quarter-finals.
But, how good have Bruno Genesio’s side been away from home this season? Well, inconsistent would probably be the best description.
In Ligue 1, they’ve won six, drawn two and lost five of their 13 games on the road, meanwhile in Europe, they’ve won twice and lost three respectively.
Therefore, so long as Villa stay focused and compact in defence, Emery, armed with his superb record against Lille, will also be confident that his side can fend them off and take his team into the next round of the competition.
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