Lille meet Aston Villa in their Quarter-Final second leg in 2023-24 UEFA Europa Conference League.
Trailing 2-1 on aggregate, Lille know that only victory would see them reach the semi-finals whilst Villa simply need to avoid defeat in order to advance.
Defeat by an one-goal margin for Villa however would see the tie go to extra-time and potentially penalties.
Team News
Lille have no fresh injury concerns to report after the first leg, with their Ligue 1 trip to Monaco postponed in order to allow maximum preparation for this match.
Rafael Fernandes (muscle), Andrej Ilic (foot) and Samuel Umtiti (knee) are ruled out.
Aston Villa have no fresh injury concerns to report but Douglas Luiz is back in contention, after the midfielder missed their Premier League win at Arsenal due to suspension.
Jacob Ramsey (foot), Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara (both knee) and Emiliano Buendia (ACL) remain on the side-lines.
When is Kick-Off?
Lille host Villa at Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Thursday 18 April at 6:45 CEST (5:45pm UK Time), live on TNT Sports 3 in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Lille are unbeaten in two of three previous meetings against Villa in all UEFA competitions (W1, D1, L1).
- Aston Villa drew 1-1 in their only previous visit to Lille, which came in July 2002 in that summer’s UEFA Intertoto Cup.
- Both teams have scored in two of their three previous meetings across all UEFA competitions.
- Lille have kept just two clean sheets in their last five European games at home (W4, D1).
- Villa have kept a single clean sheet in their last four away matches in this competition (W1, D2, L1).
Prediction
Trailing from a tight first leg where their shots were more accurate onto target but not clinical, Lille know that they realistically must score first if want any chance of at least forcing extra time – especially after they were handed the weekend off to prepare for this match.
Villa meanwhile didn’t have that luxury but can come into this game off the back of a massive psychological win at Arsenal, where they dug deep defensively for much of the game yet turned on the attacking flair when needed which clinically paid off in the closing minutes.
Unai Emery’s Villains though haven’t exactly been impressive on the European roads this season but if they play with the same fight and desire of their last two matches, there is no doubt that they can progress even if dig out a draw.
Prediction: Lille 1-1 Aston Villa
Result: Lille 2-1 Aston Villa (Tie level 3-3 on aggregate, Villa win 4-3 on penalties)
Leave a Reply