Aston Villa team news: John McGinn returns for Europa League first leg against Lille

Manager Unai Emery has named his team for Aston Villa’s Europa League round of 16 first leg match against Lille this evening.

Villa will look to make a positive next step in their last hope of bagging silverware this season in northern France tonight before the second leg at Villa Park next week decides their quarter-finals fate.

Emery wants a trophy – his trophy, in the case of the Europa League – and a return to the Champions League. There’s no getting away from the fact that this game at Lille is a quite huge component of that quest and simply must be a Villa win.

In some ways, this is the most scrutinised Villa team selection of the season. Villa need a win not only for the advantage in the tie but because their Premier League form has been so poor since the beginning of 2026.

Midfield injuries offer mitigation but the last two matches in particular were unjustifiably short of expectations regardless of those admittedly important absences.

The return of John McGinn

Emery won’t get Boubacar Kamara back this season and Youri Tielemans is still some way off, but captain John McGinn has been named in the matchday squad for the first time since he went off injured in the home defeat against Everton.

McGinn has primarily played on the right wing (ish) this season but his importance to the team and the dressing room has been reinforced by the comments of teammate Morgan Rogers this week. It should be a major boost to get him back but it doesn’t solve all of Villa’s tactical problems overnight.

As McGinn works his way back into the side, Jadon Sancho continues in that role against Lille while Douglas Luiz and Amadou Onana continue in the centre of midfield.

Emery hasn’t included McGinn in the starting line-up but he has made four changes, bringing Lamare Bogarde in along with Pau Torres, Lucas Digne and Sancho.

Regardless of who plays, Villa are running out of leeway. They need to get through the round of 16 and that means they need a result at Lille tonight.

Villa team news in full

Starting XI: Martínez, Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Luiz, Onana, Sancho, Buendía, Rogers, Watkins

Substitutes: Bizot, Wright, Mings, Lindelöf, Maatsen, García, McGinn, Elliott, Bailey, Abraham

How to watch Lille v Villa

➡️ How to watch Lille v Aston Villa in the UK: Europa League kick-off time, TV channels and streams
➡️ Lille v Aston Villa: Europa League predicted line-up, team news and match preview

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