Aston Villa vs Lille preview, prediction, team news, and head-to-head

The Villans head into Thursday's clash with a slender but valuable one-goal cushion, meaning a win or a draw will be enough to send them through to the quarter-finals.

• Aston Villa to win

• Under 2.5 goals

• Ollie Watkins to score

Unai Emery became just the fifth manager in Aston Villa's history to celebrate 100 wins at the club when they edged past Lille 1-0 in the first leg Sports Mole. This is a milestone that underlines just how far this club has come under the Spaniard. However, the mood at Villa Park has been tempered somewhat by a 3-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester United last time out.

Emery's side have been inconsistent domestically of late, but their European record this season has been nothing short of excellent, winning eight of their nine Europa League matches, more than any other team in the competition.

Meanwhile, Lille head into this second leg on the back of a 2-1 away win over Rennes in Ligue 1, a result that moved them to within three points of the top four. That confidence on the road will give Les Dogues belief that they can cause problems at Villa Park. 

Bruno Genesio's men have shown real grit in Europe this season where they overturned a first-leg deficit against Red Star Belgrade to reach this stage, so comebacks are well within their DNA.

Qualifying for the Europa League quarter-finals for the first time in their history is the carrot dangling in front of Lille, but beating the English side away from home remains a stern test. Against English opposition, Lille have won just three of their previous 19 encounters, a record that will offer Villa real confidence heading into this second leg.

These two sides have met five times previously, with both teams winning two matches each and one draw. Their only meeting at Villa Park in the Europa League this season ended in a 1-0 victory for the hosts, courtesy of an Ollie Watkins header. History, on balance, leans slightly towards Villa on home soil.

Aston Villa will be without Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Youri Tielemans (ankle), while Ross Barkley is ineligible for the Europa League after being omitted from the club's European squad. Matty Cash and Emiliano Buendia will both be assessed ahead of kick-off,  with the latter having picked up a knock at Old Trafford. 

On the positive side, Jadon Sancho is available after being ineligible to face his parent club Manchester United and could come straight into the starting eleven. Ollie Watkins leads the line, with Morgan Rogers and John McGinn expected to support in the attacking midfield roles.

Lille will travel to Birmingham without Marc-Aurèle Caillard (elbow), Osame Sahraoui (groin), Hamza Igamane (ACL), Ethan Mbappé Lottin (thigh), and Ousmane Touré (knee). Goalkeeper Berke Özer, centre-backs Aïssa Mandi and Nathan Ngoy, and midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi are all one booking away from suspension, which could force Genesio into some cautious game-management decisions. 

Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Luiz, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins

Lille: Özer; Meunier, Mandi, Ngoy, Verdonk; Bouaddi, Bentaleb, Mukau; Haraldsson, Giroud, Correia

Villa Park has been a fortress in Europe this season, and despite their poor domestic form, Emery's men know how to turn it on when the continental stage demands it. Lille will make this hard because they are organized, experienced in European knockout football, and dangerous on the counter

However, the one-goal advantage and home crowd give Villa a significant edge. So, expect a cagey, low-scoring affair where Villa do just enough to get the job done and secure their spot in the last eight.

Correct score prediction: Aston Villa 1–0 Lille

(Aston Villa to progress 2–0 on aggregate)