After delivering a winner on Sunday, SlipsTips shares a selection ahead of Aston Villa’s clash with Lille in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Aston Villa vs Lille (Thursday, 20:00)
Aston Villa will look to secure their place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League when they face Lille in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday night.
Unai Emery's side put themselves in pole position to secure a quarter-final berth by battling their way to a 1-0 win in France last Thursday evening.
Since then, however, Villa have suffered a third straight Premier League defeat after going down 3-1 away at Manchester United on Sunday.
Lille, on the other hand, rebounded by claiming a 2-1 win away at Rennes in Ligue 1 at the weekend.
I’ve already written an in-depth preview of this second-leg showdown, but here I’ll dive deeper into one of the three recommended selections.
Given the lay of the land coming into this week's second leg, Lille look well worthy of support to earn four or more corners at 5/6 on bet365.
Bruno Genesio's side will have to score at least once at Villa Park on Thursday night if they are to avoid elimination, so they will have to try and force the issue at some point during this contest.
Moreover, Lille have been one of the most prolific teams from a corner perspective in this season's Europa League, racking up 70 flag kicks so far, which is bettered only by Bologna's 86.
A closer look shows that Les Dogues earned seven corners away at Celta Vigo during the league phase, while they racked up eight in the away leg of their playoff tie with Red Star Belgrade.
That habit also translates into Ligue 1 this season, as Lille have averaged a joint league-high 6.04 corners per game.
Further encouragement comes from the fact that Aston Villa are conceding an average of 4.73 corners per game in the Premier League this season.
So with all that in mind, Lille look good value to clear the over 3.5 corner hurdle at Villa Park on Thursday night.
Recommended Bet
- Over 3.5 Lille Corners – 5/6 (bet365)
Grant Heaney, aka SlipsTips, is a Freelance Football and Darts Writer with over six years experience. Grant has written football and darts betting content for some of the biggest betting websites and newspapers in the UK. He is a Falkirk season ticket holder and avid watcher of football and darts, whether it be UK-based or further afield. You can find all of his tips on X @SlipsTips
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