Aston Villa prepare for the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final, giving Unai Emery one major thing to consider ahead of LOSC Lille test.
The scene is set for Villa Park to welcome LOSC Lille to the Midlands on Thursday night, as Aston Villa prepare to battle the French outfit in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
The Villans will hope to turn their recent form around in order to beat the Ligue 1 side, who currently sit fourth in the French top flight and remain unbeaten in the Conference League.
It’s poised to be a fascinating tie between two sides that have been exciting teams to watch this season however, from a Villa perspective, Unai Emery may be tempted to make one change to his starting XI ahead of Thursday’s duel.
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The change that Unai Emery must make ahead of Aston Villa v LOSC Lille
While a lot of Villa’s focus will be on ensuring their front line can break down Lille’s well-structured defence, the manager will also be very wary of his own back line ahead of the fixture.
It’s been a concerning few weeks for the Villans, who have conceded 12 goals in their previous five Premier League games, with last week’s 3-3 draw with Brentford exposing the frailties at the back.
Although all of the Bees’ goals stemmed from the right side, the central zone was at fault for allowing the visitors to score from the chances created in the wide channels.
One player that could now face the axe ahead of Lille is Diego Carlos, whose positioning was simply not good enough at times against Brentford, despite his first-half showing being of high quality.
Once lauded as being a defender who is “all-in” for his team by former boss Steven Gerrard, the £26m Brazilian cannot afford to replicate his lacklustre positioning from the weekend against Lille for one critical reason.
The test that Aston Villa must brace themselves for against LOSC Lille
It’s always a must to have a defence prepared to be ready to give it all to protect the goal, however, it’s even more of a necessity in certain circumstances.
Lille pose a significant threat in attack, with striker Jonathan David hitting searing form this season in France.
The Canada international has netted 16 goals in Ligue 1 so far this term, telling of his prowess in the final third, with him actually scoring more frequently than Ollie Watkins.
As per Sofascore, David averages a goal every 133 minutes in Ligue 1 with a conversion rate of 22%, numbers better than the formidable Villa talisman who averages a goal every 150 minutes in the Premier League and a conversion rate of 20%.
The form of the Canadian only reinforces the changes that Emery could be tempted to make against Lille, with extra consideration now needed to be taken over Carlos’ claim to a starting spot.
