Match: Europa League
Fixture: Lille vs Aston Villa
Local Kick-off Time: Mar 12, 2026 5.45pm
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ODDS
| Market | Handicap/Line | Selection | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1X2 | – | 1 (Home) | 2.88 |
| – | X (Draw) | 3.30 | |
| – | 2 (Away) | 2.38 | |
| Asian Handicap | +0/0.5 | Home | 1.78 |
| -0/0.5 | Away | 2.10 | |
| Total Goals | 2.5/3 | Over | 2.03 |
| Under | 1.83 | ||
| Corners | 9.5 | Over | 1.90 |
| Under | 1.80 |
Prediction: Aston Villa -0.25
For both sides, having this two-legged Europa League tie around their crucial fixtures is unwelcome news. Lille face key Ligue 1 matches against Rennes and Marseille in the next two weeks, while Aston Villa take on Manchester United this weekend – a result that will largely decide their Champions League qualification fight in the Premier League.
The Asian handicap sets Lille at +0.25 goals, a line mostly based on both sides’ Europa League form this season. Aston Villa had no Premier League game last weekend, giving them seven full days of rest, and they are likely to start most of their key players. We back Aston Villa to win away.
Comprehensive Prediction Analysis:
Lille
Unlike Villa, Lille were forced into the Europa League knockout round playoffs after an inconsistent League Phase campaign, winning four and losing four of their eight matches to finish 18th in the standings and four points adrift of the automatic last-16 spots.
Les Dogues overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to beat Red Star Belgrade 2-0 after extra time in the second leg held in Belgrade at the end of last month, progressing 2-1 on aggregate to reach the last 16 for the fourth time in five seasons in European competition.
Bruno Genesio’s side have since extended their unbeaten run in all tournaments to four games (W3 D1), though they conceded a 93rd-minute goal to draw 1-1 with Lorient in Ligue 1 last weekend, leaving them sixth in the French top-flight table and five points behind the top four with nine games remaining.
On Thursday, Lille return to Stade Pierre-Mauroy where they have won three of their five Europa League home games this season (L2), scoring at least two goals in each victory, but they have only come out on top in two of their last eight home matches across all competitions (D2 L4). Against English opposition, Lille have only won three of their previous 19 encounters (D5 L11), but one of those was against Aston Villa back in August 2002, winning 2-0 at Villa Park in the second leg of an Intertoto Cup semi-final tie.
Lille are set to be without Marc-Aurele Caillard (elbow), Osame Sahraoui (groin), Hamza Igamane (ACL), Ethan Mbappe Lottin (thigh) and Ousmane Toure (knee) due to injury. Goalkeeper, Berke Ozer, centre-back pairing Aissa Mandi and Nathan Ngoy, and midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi are all one booking away from a suspension, but they are all expected to continue in the starting lineup. Former Southampton left-back Romain Perraud and ex-Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb are both likely to start, while 39-year-old Olivier Giroud - a Europa League winner with Chelsea in 2018-19 - has scored four of his nine goals in Europe this season and is set to begin up front.
| Date/Competition | Home | Score (HT/FT) | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/03/09 Ligue 1 | LOSC Lille | 1-1 / 1-1 | Lorient |
| 2026/03/02 Ligue 1 | LOSC Lille | 1-0 / 1-0 | FC Nantes |
| 2026/02/27 UEFA Europa League | Crvena Zvezda | 0-2 / 0-1 | LOSC Lille |
| 2026/02/23 Ligue 1 | Angers SCO | 0-1 / 0-1 | LOSC Lille |
| 2026/02/20 UEFA Europa League | LOSC Lille | 0-1 / 0-1 | Crvena Zvezda |
| 2026/02/15 Ligue 1 | LOSC Lille | 1-1 / 1-1 | Stade Brestois 29 |
| 2026/02/07 Ligue 1 | Metz | 0-0 / 0-0 | LOSC Lille |
| 2026/02/01 Ligue 1 | Lyon | 1-0 / 1-0 | LOSC Lille |
| 2026/01/30 UEFA Europa League | LOSC Lille | 1-0 / 1-0 | SC Freiburg |
| 2026/01/26 Ligue 1 | LOSC Lille | 1-4 / 1-4 | RC Strasbourg Alsace |
Aston Villa
After reaching the Conference League semi-finals in 2024 and the Champions League quarter-finals last season, Aston Villa are competing in the Europa League knockout rounds this term after finishing second in the 36-team League Phase, level on points with table-toppers Lyon.
The Midlands club have scored two or more goals in nine of their last 13 European matches, including five of their seven victories across eight League Phase fixtures this season – their only defeat was suffered away against Go Ahead Eagles on matchday three in October. Since beating Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 at home at the end of January, Villa have suffered a dip in form on the domestic front which has coincided with injuries to a few key players. Just one win has been posted across their last seven games (D2 L4), most recently suffering a heavy 4-1 home defeat to Chelsea in the Premier League a week last Wednesday.
The Europa League could represent a valuable distraction for Villa, and possibly a backup route to next season’s Champions League, as a four-game winless run in the Premier League has dented their top-five hopes, though they still sit fourth and three points above Liverpool in sixth. Head coach Unai Emery is “dreaming” of steering Villa to their first major trophy since 1996 and winning his record-extending fifth Europa League title as a manager. The Spaniard has won 66 of his 102 matches in the competition with five different clubs and he has never been eliminated in the last 16 in seven previous campaigns.
As for Aston Villa, Youri Tielemans (ankle), Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Andres Garcia (thigh) remain sidelined. This game may also come too soon for John McGinn (knee), while Matty Cash (calf) and Harvey Elliott (unspecified) will be assessed ahead of kickoff. Ross Barkley is ineligible after being left out of the club’s Europa League squad, so Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz are expected to link arms again in centre-midfield, with Morgan Rogers operating in an advanced central role and seeking to end a five-game goalless drought. Ollie Watkins is set to get the nod to lead the line over Tammy Abraham, while Jadon Sancho could be recalled at the expense of either Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia to start on the right flank.
| Date/Competition | Home | Score (HT/FT) | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/03/05 Premier League | Aston Villa | 1-4 / 1-4 | Chelsea |
| 2026/02/28 Premier League | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2-0 / 2-0 | Aston Villa |
| 2026/02/21 Premier League | Aston Villa | 1-1 / 1-1 | Leeds United |
| 2026/02/15 FA Cup | Aston Villa | 1-3 / 1-3 | Newcastle United |
| 2026/02/12 Premier League | Aston Villa | 1-0 / 1-0 | Brighton & Hove Albion |
| 2026/02/07 Premier League | Bournemouth AFC | 1-1 / 1-1 | Aston Villa |
| 2026/02/01 Premier League | Aston Villa | 0-1 / 0-1 | Brentford |
| 2026/01/30 UEFA Europa League | Aston Villa | 3-2 / 3-2 | Red Bull Salzburg |
| 2026/01/25 Premier League | Newcastle United | 0-2 / 0-2 | Aston Villa |
| 2026/01/23 UEFA Europa League | Fenerbahce | 0-1 / 0-1 | Aston Villa |
Final Prediction:
Asian Handicap: Aston Villa -0.25
European Handicap: Away Win
Predicted Scores: 0-1, 0-2, 1-2
Predicted Total Goals: 1, 2, 3
This content provides sports news and pre-match analysis for fan discussion only. Sports events involve uncertainties; actual results shall prevail.
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