Aston Villa have one foot in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals but the job’s not done yet as the quarter-final second leg against LOSC Lille awaits this Thursday.
Unai Emery and his men, buoyant with confidence following the tremendous 2-0 victory away at Arsenal, hold a 2-1 aggregate lead ahead of the trip to northern France. But as the 3-3 draw against Brentford brutally proved, merely two or three lapses in concentration can entirely change the complexion of an encounter.
The Villans must maintain perfect focus at Stade Pierre Mauroy - the 50,186-seater home of Lille - to maintain their slender advantage. Doing so will be an incredibly tough task as Los Douges have lost just once on home soil all season – and that was all the way back in late September against Will Still’s Stade de Reims.
Although the fixture congestion is mounting, Emery isn’t one for excuses and he’s expected to name as strong of a lineup as possible for Thursday’s late afternoon kick-off. With that in mind, including a midfield reshuffle and the controversial dropping of an attacker, here’s the starting XI we predict will be named for the crunch clash in Lille.
5. LB - Lucas Digne
Digne has nudged himself ahead of Alex Moreno in the pecking order. Better defensively, he’s likely to play again. He also assisted Bailey’s goal on Sunday. | Getty Images
6. RM - Leon Bailey
Bailey will be well-rested having only played the last 30 minutes against Arsenal. The Jamaican, the scorer of the crucial opener in that game, has been in brilliant form. | Getty Images
7. CM - Douglas Luiz
Luiz, available for this fixture but not for Bournemouth, is a guaranteed pick. The Brazilian wasn’t particularly missed at Arsenal but he’ll definitely be utilised here. | Getty Images
8. CM - Youri Tielemans
Tielemans put in an outstanding shift for Villa at the Emirates and he's bound to start again in the centre. It’ll be interesting to see if he can do the same alongside Luiz. | Getty Images