As Aston Villa and Lille prepare to face each other in the Conference League this week, manager Paulo Fonseca is being quite careful about his opponent.
The French side’s boss this week spoke to UEFA, and in quotes brought by Mais Futebol, he made it clear his team are not favourites for qualification.
Fonseca started by saying Lille have already done great by getting this far in the Conference League, and then pointed out the strength that Aston Villa have.
“I think it’s a huge achievement for Lille to reach this stage of the competition. The reality is that we ended up with perhaps the best team in the competition. I have to be cautious about my wishes. I have a lot of faith in my players, I have a lot of faith in our team, and we’re going to fight and work hard to somehow get past this big obstacle that is Aston Villa,” Paulo Fonseca told UEFA.
The coach also talked about the attributes that his club will use to try and beat Aston Villa in the two-legged tie.
“The essence of this team is to be dominant, to pressurise, to win the ball back in high areas, but above all, to control and dominate the game. What we’re trying to be is a dominant team, one that plays in attacking midfield and is a team that reacts strongly when the ball is lost.”
Aston Villa and Lille are playing the first leg of the Conference League’s quarter-finals in England on Thursday.
Unai Emery’s side then have a tough challenge in the Premier League, as they prepare for a trip to London to play Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
It’s only then that Aston Villa will return to focus on Lille, as they’re travelling for the second leg in France on April 18th.
