Aston Villa vs Lille – Match preview and team news

Birmingham, Thursday night, and Villa Park is braced for a tie that could propel Aston Villa into a European quarter-final for the first time in the modern era. Unai Emery’s side carry a 1–0 lead into the second leg of their Europa League last-16 showdown with Lille, courtesy of Ollie Watkins’ second-half header in northern France seven days ago. That result also nudged Emery into the club’s record books as the fastest manager to 100 victories, reaching the landmark in only 181 matches.

Yet the mood around B6 is not entirely serene. A 3–1 Premier League reverse at Manchester United on Sunday extended Villa’s domestic losing streak to three games and underlined a concerning slide in league form. In Europe, however, the Villans have been close to flawless: six consecutive Europa League wins, a sequence bettered by only one English side in the competition’s history, and four straight home victories in the tournament this term with an aggregate score of 8-3.

Lille arrive in the West Midlands determined to rewrite their own English narrative. The French club have never won on these shores in nine attempts, losing the last seven in succession. Still, Bruno Genesio’s squad showed their capacity to rally, edging Rennes 2-1 on Sunday to stay within striking distance of the Ligue 1 top four. They have already overturned a first-leg deficit once this campaign, coming from behind to eliminate Red Star Belgrade in the play-off round, and will look to 39-year-old Olivier Giroud—nine goals this season—to provide the cutting edge missing in the opening leg.

Team news is mixed for both camps. Villa remain without midfielders Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans through injury, while Matty Cash and Emi Buendía face late fitness tests. Jadon Sancho is available after cup-tie ineligibility at the weekend, but Ross Barkley and Alysson are barred from European selection. Lille’s injury list is longer: Ethan Mbappé, Hamza Igamane, Osame Sahraoui and two further squad members are ruled out. Full-back Tiago Santos and captain Benjamin André are expected to return after rotation against Rennes.

Emery is likely to stick with the 4-2-3-1 that served him well in France, marshalled by the in-form Watkins and supported by Sancho, McGinn and Rogers. Genesio is set to pair Giroud with the creative spark of Haraldsson and Perrin, shielded by the experienced duo of Bentaleb and André.

Kick-off at Villa Park is 20:00 GMT, live on TNT Sports 1 and the discovery+ app. A place in Friday’s quarter-final draw awaits the victor.

Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins.

Lille predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Ozer; Santos, Mbemba, Mandi, Perraud; Bentaleb, André; Mukasu, Haraldsson, Perrin; Giroud.