Unai Emery and his side will be buoyed by a famous win at Arsenal last time out, and their attention turns to Europe where they hold the advantage following the first leg. Below we preview Thursday’s meeting in France, along with Lille vs Aston Villa tips and predictions.
Lille vs Aston Villa Tips
- Jonathan David to Score @ 6/4
- Draw or Aston Villa @ 1/2
We predicted the first leg of Aston Villa vs Lille correctly with two successful betting tips – read on to find our reasoning for the second leg predictions above.
Lille vs Aston Villa Preview
John McGinn made it six goal contributions in the Europa Conference League this season, as he chipped in with a goal and an assist to hand Aston Villa a slender advantage.
They take a 2-1 lead to northern France after Bafode Diakite netted with six minutes left on the clock to hand Lille a second leg lifeline. Les Douges enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and shots on target in the first leg, but to no avail as Unai Emery navigated a testy quarter-final in typically stoic fashion.
Villa followed that with the kind of season-changing result that could well see them qualify for the Champions League, as they became one of only three teams to snatch victory away at Arsenal this season.
As for Lille, their defeat in Birmingham last week signalled the end of a seven-game unbeaten streak, but they should be far fresher than their opponents having not played over the weekend.
Only Nice have conceded less goals than Paulo Foncesca’s exuberant young side in Ligue 1 this campaign, but they will need to find a way to overturn a one-goal deficit on Thursday evening.
Lille vs Aston Villa Predictions and Betting Tips
Jonathan David to Score
Lille’s chief goal threat was kept relatively quiet in last week’s first leg, managing just one attempt on goal.
This competition has been far from fruitful for the Canadian, who has netted three goals from a total xG of 5.5. He has also missed the most big chances in the Europa Conference League this term.
Usually a stat like that would jump off the page as a warning light, but the fact he is still managing to fashion these chances and his teammates are able to create for him still makes him a genuine threat.
23 goals in all competitions this campaign is the kind of return that has a host of Europe’s elite chasing his services, and his record on home soil in particular is the focus of this tip.
11 of his 16 goals in Ligue 1 have come at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and he should relish the chance to prove his doubters wrong after a quiet first leg.
Aston Villa or Draw
Although we expect Lille to battle back and get on the scoresheet, we also expect Aston Villa’s European journey to continue beyond this tie.
Villa can equal their longest unbeaten streak in Europe by avoiding defeat on Thursday, and although the latest odds on Lucky Block are seemingly struggling to pick a clear victor, it is hard to ignore Unai Emery’s record on the continent.
We used this stat in our article last week, but only Pep Guardiola has more wins in European competition that Emery since 2009 – that should tell you all you need to know about his ability to navigate two-legged ties and hostile atmospheres.
Lille Team News
Andrej Ilic, Edon Zhegrova, Rafael Fernandes and Sam Umtiti all remain sidelined for Lille, but the rest of the squad have benefited from a full week of rest.
England U21 star Angel Gomes made a brief cameo at Villa Park last week, and could be available for a starting berth after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Lille Predicted Line-Up: Chevalier; Santos, Diakite, Yoro, Ismaily; Andre, Bentaleb; Zhegrova, Cabella, Gudmundsson; David
Aston Villa Team News
Boubacar Kamara, Emi Buendia, Tyrone Mings and Jacob Ramsey remain the only confirmed absentees for Unai Emery.
Villa will welcome back Douglas Luiz to the starting line-up after he was forced to sit out the weekend’s match at the Emirates through suspension.
Matty Cash returned to the line-up against Arsenal after several weeks on the sideline, and could be in line to start here.
Aston Villa Predicted Line-Up: Martinez; Konsa, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Luiz, Tielemans; Bailey, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Lille vs Aston Villa Odds
- Lille 36/25
- Draw 5/2
- Aston Villa 17/10
