Unai Emery has several selection dilemmas ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League clash with Lille
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins(Image: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock)
Aston Villa take on Lille for the first leg of their Europa League round of 16 clash on Thursday night.
Unai Emery’s side will be looking to take an advantage back to Villa Park for next week’s second leg, with a trip to Manchester United wedged in between on Sunday afternoon.
Opponents Lille are unbeaten in their last four matches in all competitions but won just one of their previous 10 games before that.
Bruno Genesio’s side won four and lost four of their eight league-phase matches and qualified for the Round of 16 after beating FK Crvena Zvezda 2-1 on aggregate in the knockout play-offs.
Emi Martinez, who was the focus of Villa’s last trip to Lille – where he made two penalty saves in a shoot-out victory – is expected to start in goal.
Emery will speak to the media on Wednesday night and will likely be asked to provide a fitness update on Matty Cash, John McGinn and Harvey Elliott.
If fit enough to start, Cash will play at right-back, possibly alongside Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne in defence.
Lille have scored more than once in just two of their last 19 matches and are not a particularly free-scoring side, so keeping a clean sheet will be one of Villa’s main objectives.
McGinn could make the squad after returning to training earlier this week, having overcome the knee injury he suffered seven weeks ago in the 1–0 home defeat against Everton.
In midfield, Lamare Bogarde could come into the double pivot, possibly lining up alongside Amadou Onana for extra protection.
Morgan Rogers, Jadon Sancho and Emi Buendia could then support the striker, with Leon Bailey and Ross Barkley also available as options.
Elliott, who has been nursing an injury in recent weeks, is able to feature in European matches without it affecting Villa’s appearance-based obligation-to-buy trigger.
Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham will be competing for the starting spot up front, but given that Watkins has started the last three matches, Emery may stick with him again.
Watkins was denied what would have been just his second goal in 12 matches last week when he thought he had restored the lead against Chelsea FC, only for it to be ruled out by VAR for offside.
Predicted XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Bogarde, Onana; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
