Lille have lost just one of their last seven matches in all competitions
Villa finished second in league phase but have only won once in seven games
Recommended bet: Lille win and under 2.5 goals
Aston Villa travel to Ligue 1 side Lille for the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday night with the aim of reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The Premier League club finished second in the league phase to reach this stage, but have hit a rough patch, winning just once domestically since the start of February.
The latest Lille vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Lille are without former Rangers striker Hamza Igamane who is out for the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
Osame Sahraoui is unavailable due to a groin problem, while Ousmane Toure and Ethan Mbappe are both sidelined until April.
Villa, meanwhile, are without influential midfield trio John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans.
Wing-back Matty Cash is also unavailable due to a calf issue.
The stats
Lille won four and lost four in the Europa League phase, finishing 18th in the standings with 12 points and progressing to the play-offs.
The Villans Villa have won seven of their eight Europa League matches this season, with their only loss to Go Ahead Eagles in October.
This will be the fifth time Villa have faced Lille. The two sides last met in the Conference League in 2024, with the home side winning each leg.
It was 2002 that the clubs first went head-to-head, with the French side claiming a 3-1 aggregate victory in the semi-finals of the Intertoto Cup.
Villa are currently fourth in the Premier League, while Lille lie sixth in Ligue 1.
Villa won 11 straight matches in November and December, but have lost four of their last seven games in all competitions.
The latest Lille vs Aston Villa odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Villa have impressed this campaign and won seven of their eight league phase fixtures in this tournament.
However, travelling to France to face Lille on Thursday evening, Unai Emery's side are in a bad moment.
Losing to bottom club Wolves in the Premier League, Villa then suffered a humbling 4-1 home defeat by Chelsea.
The Villans will be hoping to get back to winning ways in France, but face a Lille outfit who are unbeaten in four and claimed three victories in that time.
Beating Red Star 2-0 to progress to the last 16, Lille will be confident home advantage will count towards getting the better of a Villa side who are depleted right now.
Without McGinn, Kamara and Tielemans, Villa are severely weakened of the park and may struggle to gain a foothold in the game.
Backing the home side to win and under 2.5 goals could prove a smart pick as every one of Lille's last nine matches have featured only two goals or less.
Back Lille to win and under 2.5 goals at 9/2 with LiveScore Bet
