Football betting tips: Europa League
2pts Aston Villa to win at 29/20 (General)
A trip to northern France for the opening leg of their Europa League last-16 tie with Lille provides much-needed respite for Aston Villa.
Two wins in 11 Premier League matches, as well as an FA Cup exit to Newcastle, has put their hopes of a top-five finish in serious doubt.
There are good reasons. Throughout the season Unai Emery has been at pains to rule his team out of the title race, saying they lack the squad depth to challenge not only for top spot, but potentially even a Champions League place.
First choice central midfield trio Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans are all missing and Villa have unsurprisingly struggled as a result.
Now fourth in the table with nine games to play having been overtaken by a resurgent Manchester United, and with the far better resourced Chelsea and Liverpool just three points behind, their best route to a return to Europe's top table may in fact be through winning its second-tier competition.
Not only would it make sense to prioritise it from that perspective but in Emery they truly do possess a trump card. He is the most successful manager in Europa League history with four titles - three consecutively at Sevilla (2014, 2015 and 2016) and one with Villarreal (2021).
Emery's side have performed well during his two previous European campaigns, reaching the Conference League semi-finals and being edged out in the last eight of the Champions League by eventual winners PSG, beating them in the second leg.
Not only that, Villa have not won a major trophy for 30 years, last lifting the League Cup at Wembley in 1996.
Expect a strong XI to be named, one good enough to take care of a Lille team who sit sixth in Ligue 1, have lost seven of their 14 matches in 2026 and were beaten at home in the opening leg of their play-off tie against Red Star Belgrade just three weeks ago.
At a generous 29/20 we should keep it simple and back ASTON VILLA TO WIN.
Odds correct at 10:40 GMT (11/3/26)
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