Winning Europa League - the easiest task if you're Unai Emery
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 12.03.26. | 15:25
He has won this competition three times with Sevilla, once with Villarreal, and was runner-up with Arsenal. It's time for his Aston Villa triumph. But first things first - Olivier Giroud's Lille (8.45 pm)
Aston Villa are in the middle of a serious slump in the Premier League. Their place in next season's Champions League, which once looked almost guaranteed, is now hanging by a thread - even though not long ago they were close to joining Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race in England.
Despite their recent struggles, the odds have barely shifted when it comes to Villa's chances of lifting the trophy in Europe's second-tier competition.
Unai Emery's side remains the clear favourite to win the Europa League, with odds of 4.00. The closest challengers are Lyon at 8.00, followed by Roma and Betis at 9.00, Porto at 10.00 and Nottingham Forest at 11.00.
Villa's path to the quarter-finals runs through Lille. They have beaten Angers 1-0 away from home, defeated Red Star 2-0 in Belgrade, edged Nantes 1-0 and played out a 1-1 draw at home against Lorient at the weekend, with the visitors snatching a late equaliser.
Even so, things are still far from perfect in the Dogs' camp. Their focus now is firmly on securing Champions League football, either through a deep run in the Europa League or via the more straightforward route in Ligue 1. Leading the charge is veteran striker Olivier Giroud and his teammates.
Villa manager Unai Emery, meanwhile, is a true Europa League specialist. Four trophies already sit in his cabinet - three with Sevilla in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and another with Villarreal in 2021. He also reached the final with Arsenal in 2019.
Now Emery is chasing his fifth Europa League title with a third different club - and potentially a sixth final with a fourth team - a record that firmly cements his reputation as the “King” of this competition.
Villa, however, arrive in worrying form. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Newcastle (3-1) and have collected just one point from their last three Premier League matches. One small positive is that they had the weekend off due to FA Cup fixtures, meaning the players should arrive fresh for the trip to northern France. Eight days ago, though, Chelsea delivered a harsh lesson at Villa Park with a 4-1 win.
Emery confirmed he still cannot count on defender Matty Cash and midfielders Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans. The good news for Villa is the return of John McGinn, who is back in contention after missing ten matches with a knee injury.
"He's with us again. He's important, but every player is important,” Emery said. "As captain, he adds something extra to the team. We're happy to have him back and we'll try to get him back into rhythm as soon as possible."
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - ROUND OF 16
First leg
Thursday
20.45: (3.25) Bologna (3.10) Roma (2.50)
20.45: (3.35) Lille (3.35) Aston Villa (2.35)
20.45: (3.65) Panathinaikos (3.30) Betis (2.20)
20.45: (2.15) Stuttgart (3.45) Porto (3.70)
23.00: (2.15) Celta (3.50) Olympique Lyon (3.70)
23.00: (3.10) Ferencvaros (3.30) Braga (2.40)
23.00: (2.65) Genk (3.20) Freiburg (2.75)
23.00: (1.58) Nott.Forest (4.30) Midtjylland (6.00)
***odds are subject to change***