Lille manager Bruno Genesio has hinted that they won’t see their fixture against Stade Rennais postponed, before taking on Aston Villa.
El 11 HDF cover comments from the Lille manager today. He was asked about a potential postponement before their Europa League clash with Aston Villa next month.
Unai Emery’s side head to Lille on March 12th for their first leg of their last 16 clash. The French side then travel to Villa Park on March 19th for the second leg.
Both sides will have to deal with a packed schedule as a result of the two legs. They’ll face both in between their own league fixture. The Ligue 1 side could be handed an advantage though.
Ligue 1 postponements
Ligue 1 games have regularly been rescheduled to help their sides in European competitions. That continues this week for Paris Saint-Germain.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel officially postponed their clash against Nantes ahead of the clashes against Chelsea in the Champions League.
That will hand PSG a five-day break before the second leg at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea, in contrast, play Newcastle on March 14th.
Lille could ask for a similar postponement to favour them ahead of their meeting with Aston Villa. Genesio, though, insists that they’ve made no such request as yet.
“It’s a bit different; we play Thursday, Sunday, Thursday,” he said.
“In Paris, the matches were closer together because it’s the Champions League; you also need the agreement of the club you’re playing against. I don’t think we made a request in that regard.”
Lille vs Aston Villa again
Lille will head into the game with some confidence, despite Aston Villa being among the Europa League favourites this year. The French side have won two of the last four meetings with Unai Emery’s side.
Their last meeting was a 2-1 win at home in 2024, although Aston Villa went on to win the subsequent penalty shoot-out 4-3. Genesio is expecting another top game as a result.
“After playing in European competition, going to England is always a good experience; it’s always great matches with an extraordinary atmosphere,” he added.
“They’re a very good team with a coach who is a specialist in this competition, having won it four times.”