• Aston Villa have never won an away European match in France from six attempts.

• Aston Villa have won their last five Europa League matches, their longest winning streak in a major European competition.

• Only two sides have had more of the ball in the Europa League this season than Lille (58.5% possession).

• Lille have conceded the joint-most penalties in the Europa League this season (4).

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📈 Lille v Aston Villa Form & Tactics

Lille had to come through a playoff round to reach this stage of the competition, and made hard work of it as they lost 1-0 at home in the first leg - forcing the Ligue 1 side to win 2-0 in Serbia to set up this clash. Lille finished 18th in the league phase of the Europa League, with a pretty black and white record. Lille won four and lost four of their matches in the league phase of the Europa League, which was a slight underperformance in my opinion, given the overall quality of the squad.

Domestically, Lille sit sixth in Ligue 1 and are only five points away from the Champions League places - so they have plenty to fight for from now until the end of the season. Lille’s home form is quite interesting. I mentioned that they lost the first leg of their playoff tie at home, and consistency in front of their own supporters has been an issue all season, with Lille failing to win six of their 13 home matches in Ligue 1 this term.

Aston Villa have been favourites to win the Europa League from the first kick of a ball in the competition, naturally due to their Premier League quality and the experience of Unai Emery in this competition. They cruised through the league phase, finishing second behind Lyon, and winning seven of their eight matches in the Europa League - including each of their last five games in the competition.

I think you’ll slowly start to see Aston Villa prioritise this competition more and more from now until the end of the season. The race for the Champions League spots in the Premier League is so competitive and unpredictable, but Villa’s path to the Champions League next season via winning the Europa League looks a more straightforward task for Unai Emery’s men.

📔 Lille v Aston Villa Formation & Team News

Lille has always been an excellent club when it comes to developing talent, and they have some really promising young players at the moment. This quality isn’t reflected in every position, but the standout for me is definitely Ayyoub Bouaddi. The midfielder has already been courted by some of the top clubs around Europe, and manages to dominate the midfield despite his relatively small frame. His passing range is particularly striking.

Lille should line up in a 4-3-1-2 shape with Bouaddi being part of a midfield trio that has the necessary experience next to him. Andre and Bentaleb complement Bouaddi’s youth and flair quite well with a more industrious approach, which will be important if Lille want to get on top of the midfield battle here, which Aston Villa tend to win with the overloads they create in central areas.

Aston Villa will line up in a 4-2-3-1 and look to build play through the thirds. Unai Emery likes his wingers to come in quite narrow, allowing the fullbacks to maintain the width while also allowing Villa to be more direct with their attacks, with more opportunities arising to shoot from central positions when they do get near the penalty area.

Aston Villa’s injury list is pretty lengthy at the moment and includes the likes of McGinn, Tielemans, and Kamara - so Villa are missing some of their most effective players in the middle of the park, but the quality of the Premier League means that Unai Emery has plenty of options in reserve to call upon.

🔮 Football Predictions at Andy's Bet Club

Keep up with our Football Betting Tips, as well as Europa League Predictions for this week, on Andy's Bet Club.

For Thursday's football, we also have a Europa & Conference League Accumulator, Crystal Palace v Larnaca Bet Builder Tips, Nottingham Forest v Midtjylland Betting Tips, and Wrexham v Swansea Bet Builder Tips for Friday's Championship action.

There are Over 2.5 Goals Acca Tips too for Thursday's Europa action.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.