Aston Villa must treat Thursday night's match in Lille as their biggest game of the season
Aston Villa lost to Chelsea last time out despite taking the lead
Aston Villa lost to Chelsea last time out despite taking the lead(Image: PA)
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Aston Villa play their biggest game of the season so far on Thursday night, and if they treat it as anything less, Lille will take advantage.
Finishing in the top two positions of the league phase was hugely important to secure second legs at home in the knockout rounds all the way to the final, yet Unai Emery’s side have struggled at Villa Park of late.
With only two wins in their last seven home matches, there is no guarantee Villa will be able to avenge a defeat in France on Thursday night, or even hold on to an aggregate lead.
Returning to the Champions League is crucial from a financial perspective, but Emery must also end the club’s 30-year wait for a trophy. If Villa do return to UEFA’s elite club competition next season, they will not be considered favourites to win it.
However, they are rightly backed to go far in the Europa League. Emery has won the competition on four separate occasions, while Villa also pay the highest wages and possess one of the deepest squads, even if Youri Tielemans is currently injured and Boubacar Kamara is out for the campaign.
Villa won seven of their eight league phase matches, just like Lyon, who sit five points ahead of Lille in Ligue 1.
The match will also be played against the backdrop of Villa’s return to the Stade Pierre-Mauroy nearly two years after Emi Martinez’s penalty heroics sent the club into the Conference League semi-finals.
Villa lost the game 2-1 in Lille, but it was Matty Cash’s goal in the 87th minute that took the tie to extra time and eventually penalties, where Martinez saved Lille’s first and fifth spot-kicks.
After returning to France last year to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals and losing 3-1 there, Villa have still never won an away European match in the country in six attempts, losing the last three in a row.
Villa, however, have won their last five Europa League matches - their longest ever winning run in major European competition. The last English team to win six games in a row in the Europa League was Arsenal between October and December 2020.
Opponents Lille come into the game on the back of being held at home by Lorient, as Arthur Avom scored a 94th-minute equaliser to stop Bruno Genesio’s side from winning a fourth match in a row.
Before this run of four unbeaten matches, Lille had won only one of their previous 10 matches across all competitions. Interestingly, in only two of their last 19 matches have Lille scored more than one goal.
Lille finished 18th in the Europa League league phase table, winning four and losing four matches, drawing none.
They beat Crvena Zvezda 2-1 on aggregate in the knockout play-offs, but lost the first leg 1-0 at home. Lille have won the first leg in just one of their last seven major European knockout ties.