This is the fifth European meeting between Lille and Aston Villa. The two teams have a history in European competitions, with Aston Villa eliminating Lille in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2024 after a penalty shootout.
As they prepare for their latest encounter, Aston Villa will travel to face LOSC Lille in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie on March 12, 2026, at 5:45 PM UK time. The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sport 1 and available for streaming on Discovery+.
Current Form
LOSC Lille currently sits sixth in Ligue 1 and has won three of their last four matches in all competitions. In contrast, Aston Villa has struggled recently, recording just one victory in their last six matches in the Premier League. However, they have been successful in the UEFA Europa League, winning their last five matches, marking their longest winning run in major European competition.
Both teams will be missing key players due to injuries. LOSC Lille has four players sidelined: Ousmane Touré, Ethan Mbappé, Hamza Igmane, and Osame Sahraoui. Similarly, Aston Villa will be without Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, Andres Garcia, and Matty Cash.
Statements from Coaches
Bruno Genesio, the coach of LOSC Lille, expressed respect for his counterpart, Unai Emery, stating, “I remember my clash with Lyon against Unai Emery’s PSG very well. He inspires a lot of respect in me; he has a lot of experience, has won 4 Europa Leagues with 2 different teams, and he always coaches big teams.”
Unai Emery, the Aston Villa manager, acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, “Of course, it’s a massive test tomorrow. Two matches, two legs, the second leg as well, of course, we will play at home, but my expectation is very difficult and my expectation, before the matches, of course, be so focused and be trying to build our structure strong and try to feel comfortable and try to respect them.”
What to Expect
Observers note that Aston Villa has never won an away European match in France in six attempts, recording two draws and four losses. Meanwhile, Lille has won the first leg in just one of their last seven major European knockout ties, with two draws and four losses. This adds an extra layer of intrigue to the upcoming match.
As the teams prepare to meet, the outcome remains uncertain, and details remain unconfirmed regarding the final line-ups as both teams navigate their injury challenges.
