Aston Villa and Lille have unveiled their initial lineups for their clash at Villa Park in the return fixture of the 2025/26 Europa League knockout stage’s last 16.
A second-half decisive goal by Ollie Watkins has handed the Premier League club a 1-0 advantage to defend as they aim for a quarter-final spot against either Roma or Bologna.
Having finished their initial match 1-1, the Italian clubs reconvened in Rome on Thursday (20:00 GMT).
101GreatGoals.com provides the squad announcements for the Villa vs Lille Europa League fixture, along with broadcast information.
Less than 24 hours to go ⏳#UELpic.twitter.com/oFHOY0Im5O
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)March 18, 2026
Aston Villa’s Verified First XI Against Lille
Right-back Matty Cash (calf), midfielders Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Youri Tielemans (ankle) are unavailable. Wingers Emiliano Buendia and Harvey Elliott are also sidelined due to minor injuries. Ross Barkley is not permitted to play.
Aston Villa’s Initial Lineup:Martinez, Bogarde, Lindelof, Pau, Maatsen, Luiz, Onana, McGinn, Rogers, Sancho, Abraham
Villa Reserves:Bizot, Wright, Mings, Konsa, Digne, Cash, Garcia, Elliott, Buendia, Bailey, Watkins
Lille’s Complete Squad List Against Villa
Defender Ousmane Toure and striker Hamza Igamane are nursing knee complaints. Additionally, wingers Ethan Mbappe (thigh) and Osame Sahraoui (groin), along with goalkeeper Marc-Aurele Caillard (elbow), are out of contention.
Lille’s Initial Lineup:Ozer, Ngoy, Alexsandro, Mbemba, Perraud, Bouaddi, Bentaleb, Mukau, Meunier, Giroud, Correia
Lille Reserves:Bodart, Lanssade, Fernandez-Pardo, Haraldsson, Edjouma, Santos, Mandi, Verdonk, Diaoune, Baret, Boussadia
Viewing Options for Villa vs Lille: TV Channels, Digital Broadcasts
The match commences on Thursday at 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT). For viewers in the UK, the broadcast will be available on TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, and through the Discovery Plus app.
TNT Sports is priced at £30.99 monthly, encompassing Eurosport and entertainment content, and accessible across a myriad of platforms, such as smart TVs and gaming consoles.
As of March 26, TNT Sports’ streaming service will transition from Discovery Plus to HBO Max.
Aston Villa v Lille: Key Statistics
- These clubs have contended in two prior encounters over four games: Lille secured victory in their 2002 Intertoto Cup semi-final with a 3-1 aggregate score, whereas Villa advanced past the 2023/24 Europa Conference League quarter-finals following a 3-3 draw on aggregate and triumph in a penalty shootout.
- Villa have triumphed in three of their five earlier two-match fixtures against French teams, and four of their five prior fixtures on home turf against French clubs (one loss).
- The Villans have emerged victorious in 15 of their last 17 continental games at home (one draw, one loss), encompassing each of the most recent seven.
- They are seeking to attain a European quarter-final spot for a third successive campaign, having defeated Ajax 4-0 on aggregate in the 2023/24 Conference League round of 16 and Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16 last season.
- In two prior two-legged European ties where they secured an away victory in the initial match by a single-goal advantage, Aston Villa have advanced on one occasion and been eliminated on another.
- Lille have suffered defeat in nine of their last 11 fixtures facing English teams (one win, one draw), and six of their last nine Europa League matches universally (three wins).
- Their four most recent two-legged encounters against English opposition have proven fruitless.
- This marks Lille’s first Europa League round of 16 participation since the 2009/10 season, at which time they were defeated 3-1 on aggregate by Liverpool.
- Les Dogues have progressed through five of their last seven two-legged European encounters.
- They have registered one victory and four defeats in their five prior two-legged European ties after suffering a home defeat in the initial match by a single-goal difference. Their only triumph occurred this season against Crvena Zvezda in the Europa League knockout play-off round, reversing a 1-0 deficit with a 2-0 victory in extended play.