Aston Villa will aim to protect a 1-0 lead from the first leg when they host Lille in the second leg of the Europa League round of 16 at Villa Park. The match kicks off on Thursday at 20:00 GMT amid contrasting domestic form for both teams. Unai Emery has expressed respect for Lille's recent improvements under Bruno Genesio.
Aston Villa enter the match after a difficult domestic run, with one win and five defeats in their last eight league games, including a 3-1 loss at Manchester United. Lille, in contrast, sit fifth in Ligue 1 on a six-match unbeaten streak, following a 2-1 victory at Rennes. The first leg saw Villa prevail 1-0 thanks to Ollie Watkins' goal, setting up a tense return at Villa Park. Captain John McGinn could return to the starting lineup. Unai Emery highlighted Lille's competitiveness: “Our respect for this competition is massive, and so is our respect for the team they are. In their league, they are really being fantastic. I respect Lille a lot.” Lille coach Bruno Genesio praised his team's recent displays, noting “combinations that we hadn’t seen for some time” and “players liberated offensively.” Forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo emphasized intensity: “We have to keep going... the coach [has told us] that we need to be very intense from the start.” Team news Villa miss right-back Matty Cash (calf), midfielders Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Youri Tielemans (ankle), plus wingers Emiliano Buendia and Harvey Elliott (knocks); Ross Barkley is ineligible. Lille are without defender Ousmane Toure and striker Hamza Igamane (knees), wingers Ethan Mbappe (thigh) and Osame Sahraoui (groin), and goalkeeper Marc-Aurele Caillard (elbow). Stats highlights Villa have won 15 of their last 17 European home matches and aim for a third straight quarter-final appearance. Lille boast Ligue 1's third-best away record but have struggled against English sides, losing nine of their last 11 such matches. Coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery Plus app.
