‘Bad News Arrived’ – Lille Suffer Key Injury Blow Ahead Of Aston Villa Clash
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Lille’s job against Aston Villa in the Europa League has been made tougher as one of their key players, Benjamin Andre, is now expected to miss the clash at Villa Park.
In last week’s first-leg match in France, the Villans got the job done by taking a 1-0 advantage back to England for the second leg as they look to advance in the Europa League.
Despite the loss, one Lille star quickly warned Aston Villa not to think the tie is done and dusted.
Andre captained the Lille team in the first leg and played the first half with 96 per cent pass accuracy before being replaced due to an injury.
He missed the subsequent game against Rennes, but the expectation and hope of the Lille coaching staff was to have him back for the all-crucial second leg of the last 16 tie in Birmingham.
Now, according to French outlet Made In Foot, ‘bad news arrived’ as Andre will miss the clash with Aston Villa.
It means that Lille manager, Bruno Genesio, will have to trust someone else with the job of leading the team at Villa Park on Thursday, where the French side have to win by more than one goal to go through.
Andre, 35, brings huge experience and leadership qualities to the Lille team and has turned out for them 20 times in Ligue 1 so far this season.
He has been a major part of their Europa League run, appearing in eight matches, including chipping in with goals against PAOK Salonika and Dinamo Zagreb.
Aston Villa will view the Europa League as a realistic route to get into next season’s Champions League, following Tottenham Hotspur‘s example from last term.
Unai Emery’s men have been inconsistent of late and were beaten 3-1 by Manchester United on their last outing.
The win over Lille is Villa’s only win in their last six games across all competitions.
Lille sit in sixth spot in the Ligue 1 table and four points off a top four Champions League spot.
They beat Rennes 2-1 at the weekend and the loss to Aston Villa is their only defeat in the last six games.
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