Aston Villa vs Lille preview: Team news, lineups, prediction for Europa League clash
Aston Villa will be aiming to qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals when they host Lille in the second leg of the round-of-16 on Thursday.
The Villans might be winless in their last four Premier League matches, but they head into the second leg with an advantage over Bruno Genesio’s side.
Unai Emery led the Brummies to a 1-0 win at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in the first leg, with Ollie Watkins scoring a delightful header which looped over Lille goalkeeper Ozer.
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.
Villa News highlights everything you need to know ahead of Thursday’s match at Villa Park.
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Form guide
Lille (last six games all comps): W L D W W W
Aston Villa (last six games all comps): L W L L D L
Head-to-head
Villa have come up against the French side five times in their history, winning just twice in those matches.
Looking at their record against French teams as a whole, Villa have only lost three of the 11 meetings, with their Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain last season being their most recent painful memory.
Emery has now faced Lille 10 times as a manager, winning eight and drawing two of those meetings.
Given that their record against Lille and French teams in general is relatively mixed, Villa can’t afford to get complacent on Thursday evening.
- Read more: Unai Emery’s managerial record vs Lille to fill Aston Villa with huge second leg confidence
Team news and predicted lineups
Youri Tielemans, Alysson and Boubacar Kamara are all sidelined, although the Belgium international is expected to return at the start of April.
Matty Cash is also a doubt, while Emi Buendia may not feature after coming off injured against Man United on Sunday.
However, Jadon Sancho is eligible to play after being unable to face his parent club, and he’ll be desperate to continue his promising form in the Europa League.
As for Lille, they currently have six players dealing with injuries, but captain Benjamin Andre and Gaetan Perrin aren’t entirely ruled out for the Villa match.
Aston Villa predicted XI: Martinez; Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Barkley, Onana; Sancho, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Lille predicted XI: Ozer; Meunier, Mandi, Ngoy, Perraud; Bouaddi, Bentaleb, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Haraldsson, Mukau; Giroud
We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Lille
It certainly won’t be an easy match for Villa, but they should have enough to get the job done against Lille.
While they haven’t been at their best for a couple of months now, Emery knows that the backing of the home fans could spur his team to produce a much higher level of performance.
The Villans haven’t been convincing at the back, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they failed to keep a clean sheet as the French side have to win.
However, Villa should possess enough quality in the final third to dominate Lille, and a 3-1 win feels like the most likely outcome.
For even more Aston Villa news and updates, head over to Football Insider.