Football betting tips: Europa League
1pt Morgan Rogers 2+ shots on target at 5/2 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
1pt Rogers 1+ assists at 19/4 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
Aston Villa take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of this round-of-16 tie after a hard fought win in France last week.
It will once again be a relief for Unai Emery's side to return to Europa League action as they continue to struggle domestically, a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday stretching their run to just two wins in 12 Premier League matches. They were also soundly beaten at home by Newcastle in the FA Cup last month.
Fortunately for Villa the unreliability of both Chelsea and Liverpool means they remain in the fight for a top-five finish. Not to go over old ground having previewed the first leg (backing Villa at 29/20) but this tournament is still their best chance of qualifying for the Champions League, with the added motivation of ending a 30-year trophy drought.
Emery is into his third European campaign at Villa Park, one in each of UEFA's three competitions, and his record (W22 D3 L8) is mightily impressive; not that we should be surprised given he has won the Europa League four times and reached the final on one further occasion.
With the Spaniard's nouse the hosts ought to progress against a Lille team currently fifth in Ligue 1, and should be boosted by the return of their captain to the starting XI.
Villa have really struggled without first-choice midfield trio John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans but following a two-month absence McGinn came off the bench a week ago to help them to victory before playing an hour at Old Trafford.
While it's a stretch to agree that the Scotland midfielder is in fact better than Zidane as the Villa fans affectionately sing, it would seem one player in particular cannot do without him, with MORGAN ROGERS directly affected by his skipper's absence more than any other player.
Unable to find the space he did previously, while also being dragged into playing a less suitable role as Emery chased much-needed balance, Rogers has managed just two goals and one assist in 13 matches since McGinn limped off early against Everton in January.
He had provided 16 goal involvements (in equal measure) in his 19 previous starts, scoring or assisting in 11 of those games.
ROGERS feels worth backing at 19/4 for 1+ ASSISTS - far bigger than the 15/8 about him to score anytime.
The 5/2 for ROGERS 2+ SHOTS ON TARGET also feels worth a go, a selection that has won 11 times this season - twice in 12 games since McGinn's injury, nine in 25 before it.
Both bets are helped by the likely absence of Emi Buendia, who was injured towards the end of defeat at Manchester United.
Rogers is virtually certain to return to his favoured role behind Ollie Watkins, with McGinn adding extra midfield support alongside Amadou Onana and Douglas Luiz.
Odds correct at 14:40 GMT (18/3/26)
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