(Football news) The two clubs are tied at one goal going into their second-leg match, which takes place after Villa won 2-1 at home. They will face either Fenerbahce or Olympiacos next month.
Ollie Watkins’ header gave Lille the lead early in the match at Villa Park, but the hosts’ captain John McGinn tied the score just after the break with a well-placed shot. The game featured multiple momentum swings.
Les Dogues were unlucky not to depart on equal footing, but a late response from Bafode Diakite at least lessened their deficit after Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez played a significant role in keeping the visitors at bay with multiple saves.
Paulo Fonseca’s side had gone unbeaten through 10 previous Conference League matches this season, qualifying included, but that setback leaves them staring at an exit from the club’s first quarter-final tie in a major European competition.
Ligue 1 winners as recently as 2021, Lille also made the Champions League’s last 16 only two years ago, but reaching the semis of UEFA’s third-tier tournament would break further new ground for a team well-placed to dine at Europe’s top table next season.
Only an inability to turn draws into wins has stopped them topping the ‘best of the rest’ rankings behind French league leaders Paris Saint-Germain; though they sit fourth in Ligue 1, LOSC are just four points from second place – and with one game in hand following a weekend off from domestic duty.
In addition to winning four of five home fixtures in their Conference League campaign, Lille are also 15 games unbeaten at Stade Pierre-Mauroy; however, they have yet to progress from a two-legged European tie after losing the first leg.
Set for their first competitive game in France since a 1-1 draw in Lille 22 years ago – when the clubs met in UEFA’s now-forgotten Intertoto Cup – Aston Villa have come a long way since losing their first Conference League group fixture back in September.
Having since progressed as Group E winners, the Birmingham club are now within touching distance of next month’s final, after going eight subsequent games unbeaten, of which they have won six.
Taking part in their fifth European quarter-final – but a first since 1997 – Villa were crowned champions of Europe by beating Bayern Munich in 1982, but more recently they had become accustomed to mediocrity.
The arrival of current boss Unai Emery – who lifted the Europa League trophy for three successive seasons as head coach of Sevilla, then once more with Villarreal – has transformed their fortunes, and having won his last seven quarter-finals in continental competition, he will expect to get the job done again on Thursday.
Another eye-catching result in the Premier League last week restored the Villans’ status as slight favourites to take England’s fourth – and as things stand, final – Champions League place for next season, as they downed title-chasing Arsenal in the capital.
Top scorer Watkins scored again in an outstanding 2-0 victory, but Villa still have a difficult stretch ahead of them and won’t be taking Tottenham Hotspur for granted in their top-four matchup just yet.
Emery’s team would tie the club’s record for the longest winning streak in Europe, which dates back to their only European Cup victory, if they manage to avoid losing in Lille. More significantly, though, they will guarantee a berth in the Conference League semifinals.
Also read: Juventus will play Cagliari in Serie A
