Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Stade Pierre-Mauroy will host Thursday’s Conference League game between Lille and Aston Villa, the two teams who are vying for a spot in the semis. Les Dogues produced a fine display in a 2-1 loss to Villa at Villa Park and they are surely capable of making life difficult for the Premier League outfit in front of home fans. There are no fresh injury worries in Paulo Fonseca’s team as Lille were not in action in the Ligue 1 at the weekend.
The Villans, on the other hand, proved their worth in a 2-0 win over star-studded Arsenal at the weekend, which is surely fuelling fans with optimism ahead of the trip to France. Given Villa’s attacking potential, we believe that punters from all around the globe can find value in betting on both teams to score. The good news for the visiting team is that midfielder Douglas Luiz is back from the Premier League ban.
Highlighted Player (Benjamin André):
Benjamin Andre is a French footballer, who began his career at Stade Raphaelois youth team. At the age of 16 Andre moved to Ajaccio and he played for the first team from 2008 to 2014. The right-footed midfielder scored 12 goals in 187 appearances in the league for the Corsican team and in the summer of 2014 he moved to fellow French club Rennes.
Andre scored his first goal for les Rouges et Noirs on January 25, 2015, in a 4-1 defeat to Caen. The French player made provided three assists for his teammates in 36 appearances for Rennes in the 2016/2017 Ligue 1 campaign and the club chiefs decided to extend his contract in June, 2017. His deal with the Roazhon Park outfit should expire on June 30, 2022.
Benjamin Andre, who was born in Nice on August 3, 1990, has seven caps for France U21 team. The Rennes footballer plays as a central midfielder, but he is often used as both left and right midfielder.
Highlighted Team (Aston Villa):
Aston Villa is one of the three clubs that dropped to the Championship at the end of the 2015/2016 Premier League campaign. The Villans host their rivals at Villa Park, the stadium that was opened in 1897 and its’ capacity is 42,682. However, it has to be noted that the highest attendance recorded at the stadium was 76,588 when Aston Villa faced Derby County in the FA Cup back in 1946.
Aston Villa’s fiercest rivals are Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion. Nonetheless, the rivalry between Aston Villa and Wolves and Coventry City is big as well. Aston Villa have won seven First Division (Premier League) trophies, with the team clinching seven FA Cup trophies as well.
The team’s biggest success, though, came in 1982 when they won the European Cup. The Villans defeated Bayern Munich (1-0) in the title game and Peter Withe was named the man of the match.