Lille vs Aston Villa – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Villa have won seven of their eight matches in this competition this season. Lille have won three of their last four matches. The clubs met in the Europa Conference League in 2024 as both meetings ended in 2-1 wins for the home team.

Lille Form

Lille had an awful start to 2026 with five straight losses and 13 goals conceded. Coach Bruno Genesio oversaw a 1-0 home win vs Freiburg to end that streak, but LOSC went winless in the four matches after that. A 1-0 home loss to Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League made it one victory in 10 matches.

There has been a recent improvement. They won 1-0 at Angers with 2.33 xG produced and won 2-0 away at Red Star Belgrade. That win saw Lille progress 2-1 on aggregate. A 94th-minute goal brought a 1-0 home win over Nantes before drawing 1-1 on Saturday. They led 1-0 at home to Lorient but conceded in the 93^rd minute.

Lille Team News

Young defender Ousmane Toure is out with a long-term knee injury. Right winger Ethan Mbappe is not set to play any part due to a hamstring.

Striker Hamza Igamane won’t play again this season after knee surgery. Left winger Osame Sahraoui will need a late fitness test to determine his involvement.

Lille Motivation

Lille are regaining some confidence thanks to an improved run of form. They will have seen Villa’s recent struggles and gain some belief.

A first leg win is needed here. They can’t afford a home draw ahead of the second leg.

Aston Villa Form

Aston Villa sit fourth in the Premier League table, despite a run of just one win in six league matches. Overall, it’s still 17 wins in their last 26 matches across all competitions. They won seven of their eight matches in the League Phase of the Europa League. Their results and performance levels have plummeted of late.

A 3-1 home loss to Newcastle in the FA Cup was followed by a 1-1 home draw vs Leeds. They suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at to bottom-placed Wolves before losing at home to Chelsea. A 4-1 defeat saw them allow 3.60 xG in a poor defensive display.  

Aston Villa Team News

Unai Emery remains without Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara in central midfield. John McGinn and Harvey Elliott should return to the squad.  

Andres Garcia is ruled out at right back, but Matty Cash should shake off a knock to feature. Ross Barkley and Tammy Abraham are pushing for starting berths.

Aston Villa Motivation

Villa are lacking some confidence right now. They will be fully focused on trying to win the Europa League, having had eight days to prepare.

They have a massive match away at Man Utd on Sunday, though. That is a key fixture in the race for Champions League football and could distract the players somewhat.

Key Stats

• Lille have won just 4 of their last 14 matches in all competitions
• Lille have lost 5 of their 10 Europa League matches this season
• Lille have seen Under 2.5 goals in their last 9 matches
• Aston Villa have won just 1 of their last 6 league matches
• Villa have won 7 of their 8 Europa League matches this season

Verdict

Villa may be struggling in domestic action, but they look a cut above their opponents in this competition. I see a win for them in France.

Best Bet: Aston Villa win at 2.24

Alternate Bet: Aston Villa win and Under 2.5 goals at 4.00