Can Gana inspire Villa to 3 points against former club Lille?

Villa travel to France today, where they will take on 4th placed Lille, two spots above Villa. It’s undoubtedly a very important game for both sides, with Lille able to claim top spot if the top 3 teams drop points. Villa too, need the 3 points as they gun towards automatic promotion. Absolutely crucial that Villa start off the game in the right tone and assert our dominance on the French side. Our away form hasn’t been the best though, and Lille have a good home record, which makes them slight favourites. They are also unbeaten in 6 games, keeping four clean sheets along the way, which points towards to a difficulty in breaking them down. In-form striker Berbatov will also pose a threat to a backline that let in 3 goals to Donetsk mid-week.

In team news, manager Rahul has revealed that captain Micah Richards has been left behind in England along with few other key players such as Sanchez, Djuricic (who scored the winner in the first round) and Sinclair. Along with Veretout, they have all complained of minor niggles which is why no risk has been taken with them. Villa have a well-disciplined and grounded squad which means these losses can be dealt with. In-form striker Kozak will definitely start though. Rahul did not reveal anything else about the team. When asked about his opponent Lille, he praised their defensive solidity in recent games but acknowledged them as a difficult rival and held faith in his own players  to eke out a result.

This game will also have significance as it has been announced that ‘Le Marseillaise’ will ring out through the stadium as a mark of solidarity and respect for the victims of the Paris terror attacks. It will be an emotional moment for the fans of Lille, their players and our French contingent of Cissokho, N’Zogbia and Veretout (back at home).

Lastly, Idrissa ‘Gana’ Gueye, who is tipped to be the anchorman today, will be making his return to the club where he spent 5 years at. It is expected that he will get a rousing welcome as he steps on to the pitch, in recognition of his services. We hope the occasion will motivate him to fire us to victory.

Come on you Villans!