A Slender Lead, a Stuttering Home Record and a Side That Travels Well
Aston Villa hold a slender 1-0 advantage heading into Thursday’s Europa League last-sixteen second leg at Villa Park, but Unai Emery has been unequivocal in his message to supporters and players alike: the tie is far from over.
Ollie Watkins’ header in Lille gave Villa a precious away goal and a first European win on French soil, but the margin is thin and the opponent is one that has demonstrated repeatedly this season that they are more dangerous away from home than the first-leg suggested.
Lille Away Form
Lille have won their last three away games in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory at Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League play-off — the same Red Star side that had beaten Lille 1-0 at home in the first leg. Since Villa’s win in France, they have also won away at Rennes in Ligue 1, a result that moved them into fifth the French top flight. Their away record in Ligue 1 is the third best in the division. Their home record, by contrast, sits tenth. Lille, in short, are a side that tend to travel well.
The Lille away record becomes more significant when set against Villa’s recent home form. Villa have won just once in their last five home games, a scrappy 1-0 against Brighton in which they managed a single shot on target. The same pattern of territorial control without genuine threat that has defined Villa’s away performances has been equally present at Villa Park. Lille will be aware of it.
The First Time
History adds another layer of caution. This will be the third time Lille have visited Villa Park in European competition, and the first occasion ended with the visitors winning. In August 2002, with the tie level after Ian Taylor’s goal had earned a 1-1 draw in France in the Intertoto Cup semi-final, Lille arrived in B6 and left with a 2-0 win. Goals from Abdelilah Fahmi and Nicolas Bonnal either side of half-time rendered Taylor’s away goal redundant, Lille advancing 3-1 on aggregate before losing the final to Stuttgart. Villa were favourites that night too.
The more recent history is only marginally more reassuring. In the 2023 Conference League quarter-final first leg at Villa Park, Villa won 2-1 but were made to work hard for it against a Lille side that, as Emery himself recalled, potentially deserved more on the night.
“Last year, they played in the Champions League and they performed fantastic,” he recalled. “The respect for this competition is massive, and the respect for the team they are as well. Of course, we won the first match. It’s very important, this result, but it’s not enough, I know it.”
Emery, to his credit, has not allowed the 1-0 lead to breed false confidence.
“In their league, they are really being fantastic,” said, the Villa boss, despite the fact they are perhaps not at the level of the team Villa faced two years ago, after losing several key players. Their 2-1 win at Rennes since the first leg had not gone unnoticed. “After their last match they won as well away against Rennes, they are really being fantastic in the top positions.”
Emery’s Aim
The message for Thursday is clear enough.
“We must play trying to carry on the same gameplan we had there,” Emery said. “Tactically, individually, of course, we will need our supporters and we will play the match, firstly, respecting the competition and respecting Lille, and then trying to impose and to get that position in better than them.”
He was equally clear that Villa must be prepared for all eventualities.
“We will be ready, 90 minutes, and we will be ready in case we will need extra-time, or we will need the penalty shoot-out. We will be ready for it.”
Given what is at stake — a quarter-final place, the momentum of a stuttering season, and the shadow of 2002 — Villa’s supporters will be hoping the players are listening.
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