Aston Villa vs Lille – News and Probable Lineups

Aston Villa is aiming to secure a place in the European quarter-finals for a third consecutive season as they host Lille at Villa Park for the second leg of their Europa League round-of-16 clash on Thursday evening.

The club from the Midlands holds a narrow one-goal advantage from the first leg, after a second-half header from Ollie Watkins earned them a 1-0 win in France last week.

Match overview

The first-leg triumph for Aston Villa over Lille marked a significant occasion for Unai Emery, as he became only the fifth manager in the club’s history (following George Ramsay, Joe Mercer, W. J. Smith, and Ron Saunders) to achieve 100 wins, doing so in 181 matches, making him the fastest to hit that landmark.

Villa needed just one shot on target to secure their victory against Lille, marking their eighth win in nine Europa League matches this season (L1), more than any other team in the tournament.

Emery was satisfied with his team’s ‘serious’ performance in France, and as a four-time Europa League winner, he is aiming to maintain his perfect record of progressing past the last 16 of Europe’s second-tier club competition, with a potential quarter-final matchup against either Bologna or Roma on the horizon.

Winning the Europa League might offer Aston Villa an alternate pathway into next season’s Champions League, especially after suffering their third straight defeat in the Premier League on Sunday (losing 3-1 to third-placed Man United), leaving them just two points above fourth place.

The Midlands club is looking forward to returning to Villa Park on Thursday, where they have won every one of their four home matches in the Europa League this season, with a combined score of 8-3. However, since their 3-2 victory over Red Bull Salzburg on matchday eight of the League Phase, Villa has managed only one win in their last five home games across all competitions (D1 L3), conceding nine goals in total.

Two years after their penalty shootout elimination in the Conference League quarter-finals at the hands of Aston Villa, Lille faces the threat of another early European exit against the same opposition, having missed several chances in their first-leg defeat in the Europa League.

Bruno Genesio’s team now faces the challenging task of overcoming the deficit in an away fixture. However, they have successfully accomplished this feat earlier this season, coming back from a one-goal deficit against Red Star Belgrade to win 2-1 on aggregate after extra time in their knockout round playoff.

Lille has prior success at Villa Park, having secured a 2-0 away win over Villa in the second leg of an Intertoto Cup semi-final back in August 2002. Yet, that victory stands as one of only three wins in 20 previous encounters with English teams (D5 L12).

Les Dogues, who have recorded five wins and six losses in their 11 Europa League matches this season, including two victories on the road, head into Thursday’s second leg following a 2-1 win over Rennes away, moving them just three points behind the top four in Ligue 1.

Genesio’s men must replicate the same determination and offensive strength they displayed against Rennes in their upcoming match with Villa, as they strive to achieve an upset and qualify for the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time in their history.

Team News

Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans (ankle) and Boubacar Kamara (knee) will remain out due to injuries, while Ross Barkley – who scored during the loss against Man United on Sunday – cannot play as he is not included in the club’s Europa League squad.

Emiliano Buendia has emerged as a slight doubt after he left the match at Old Trafford feeling discomfort. Matty Cash will also be evaluated after missing the last two games with a calf issue. Lamare Bogarde is prepared to step in at right-back if required.

Jadon Sancho is available for selection again after being ineligible to face his parent club Man United. The winger might take Buendia’s place in the starting XI, while John McGinn, Morgan Rogers, and Watkins are all vying to keep their spots in the team.

For Lille, Hamza Igamane (ACL), Ethan Mbappe Lottin (thigh), Marc-Aurele Caillard (elbow), Osame Sahraoui (groin), and Ousmane Toure (knee) are all unavailable due to injuries.

Genesio made six changes to his squad for the victory against Rennes, but Tiago Santos, Chancel Mbemba, Romain Perraud, Benjamin Andre, Gaetan Perrin, and Olivier Guroud may all return against Villa.

Aged 39, striker Giroud leads the team with nine goals in all competitions this season, including four in the Europa League – a tournament he won with Chelsea in 2018-19.

Aston Villa probable starting XI:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins

Lille probable starting XI:

Ozer; Santos, Mbemba, Mandi, Perraud; Bentaleb, Andrew; Mouse, Haraldsson, Perrin; Giroud

Lille can draw confidence from their impressive comeback against Red Star in the previous round, but they will face a tough challenge against an Aston Villa side that has been strong in the Europa League this season and will be seen as the favorites on Thursday.

While Villa has encountered difficulties in recent weeks domestically, Emery is expected to field a strong enough lineup capable of outscoring their French opponents and ensuring their place in the quarter-finals.