Lille v Aston Villa

Lille vs Aston Villa Preview

Lille return to their Decathlon Arena for Thursday night's 2nd leg clash with Aston Villa in their Conference League quarter-final tie with the French hosts attempting to chase down a 2-1 deficit following last week's loss in the west midlands at Villa Park but unlike their visitors, Lille were not in action on the weekend in the domestic Ligue 1 and they'll be well rested ahead of this return leg.

Prior to last week's defeat at Villa Park, Lille had put together an impressive looking seven-match unbeaten sequence in all competitions which included picking up four wins in the shape of victories against the likes of Reims, Sturm Graz, Lens and Marseille respectively, so Paulo Fonseca's side will still fancy their chances of gaining a positive result here and one which could see them progress through to the semi-finals.

Results on home soil at their Decathlon Arena have also been very encouraging for the French outfit as Lille are unbeaten in their previous 15 matches in their own backyard, picking up 11 wins in the process while goals for the hosts on home soil have been almost guaranteed for some time now as Lille have scored at least once in each of their last 31 home games on the trot.

Aston Villa continued their positive midweek result against Lille into the weekend's action in the Premier League as the visitors accounted for high-flying Arsenal with a 2-0 win away from home at the Emirates Stadium and The Villains will be looking for more of the same here on Thursday night against their French counterparts as they too look for a place in the final four of this competition.

The bigger picture shows Unai Emery's side have suffered just the two defeats out of their last 12 matches in all competitions which came in the shape of defeats at the hands of Tottenham and Manchester City but the west midlands club have also collected an important seven wins within this period as well.

Domestic top flight victories on the road at Fulham, Luton Town and Arsenal should give Villa plenty of confidence as they prepare for this upcoming trip to face Lille in what is regarded by many as one of Aston Villa's biggest fixtures in recent times.

Having lost just once in their last 10 outings on their travels in all competitions, Aston Villa look a decent bet to notch at least once as they seek to take advantage of a Lille outfit who will be chasing the game being 2-1 down.

Lille v Aston Villa Verdict

This looks like being another open and attacking European tie as both Lille and Aston Villa are more than capable of hitting the back of the net as they pursue a place in the semi-finals.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 1.61

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 3.40

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 6.50