Aston Villa face Lille in the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie. Villa carry a one-goal lead into the match after Ollie Watkins’ second-half header secured a 1-0 victory in Lille last week.
Villa’s Line-Up Changes for Crucial Fixture
Unai Emery has made four changes to the Aston Villa side that started the first leg. Tammy Abraham, Ian Maatsen, Victor Lindelöf and captain John McGinn come into the starting XI. Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendía, Ezri Konsa and Lucas Digne drop to the bench.
The Aston Villa team is: Martinez, Bogarde, Lindelof, Torres, Maatsen, Onana, Douglas Luiz, Sancho, Rogers, McGinn, Abraham. The subs are: Bizot, Wright, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Elliott, Buendia, Watkins, Digne, Garcia, Bailey.
Lille’s Team and Familiar Faces
Olivier Giroud leads the line for Lille. Nabil Bentaleb starts in midfield.
Lille’s starting XI is: Ozer, Meunier, Mbemba, Alexsandro Victor, Ngoy, Bouaddi, Bentaleb, Perraud, Mukau, Giroud, Correia. The subs are: Bodart, Lanssade, Fernandez, Arnar Haraldsson, Edjouma, Santos, Mandi, Verdonk, Diaoune, Baret, Boussadia.
Villa’s European Form and Historical Context
Aston Villa should be good for this. They’ve only faced Lille once before in European competition, and got through in the 2023-24 Conference League quarters. They’ve won each of their last six Europa League games, a run that includes the first leg of this tie.
- Lille have never won in England, losing on their last seven visits.
- Unai Emery has won this competition four times.
- Emery also has a runners-up medal.
Kick-off is at 8pm GMT. Bologna or Roma await in the quarter-finals.