In-depth Analysis
ston Villa is aiming to complete the task in front of their home crowd as they host Lille at Villa Park in the Europa League Round of 16 second leg. Unai Emery’s men enter the match with a one-goal advantage thanks to a brilliant strike from Ollie Watkins, which secured a 1-0 win in France last week.
In the first leg, Aston Villa played solidly and largely neutralized Lille’s attacking threats. They could have even secured a bigger victory if their forwards had been more clinical. However, their domestic form has dipped significantly, as Emery’s side has won only 1 of their last 8 league matches, losing 5 and drawing 2.
Last weekend, Aston Villa traveled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United and suffered a 1-3 defeat. Emery pointed out that injuries in midfield were the main reason for the team’s decline, so the return of Youri Tielemans from injury is eagerly anticipated, though he may only come on in the second half.
Nevertheless, Aston Villa are on a six-match winning streak in European competitions. Given Emery’s experience—earning him the nickname “cup specialist”—this comes as no surprise. In 4 of their last 6 European matches, both teams scored, so Lille may find the net this time, but Aston Villa remain confident of securing another European victory.
For Lille, the first-leg performance was very disappointing, as they created very few chances at home. Their European form has also been underwhelming, with just 2 wins and 4 losses in their last 6 matches in the competition.
Lille’s away form has been inconsistent as well: in their last 7 road games, they have won 3, drawn 1, and lost 3. Therefore, overturning the deficit at Villa Park will be an extremely difficult task, with the advantage clearly favoring Aston Villa.