Martinez returns to Lille as hosts seek revenge after 2024 shootout trauma | OneFootball

Lille are braced for Martinez’s return to Pierre-Mauroy on Thursday, a hostile reunion after their 2024 shootout exit. The Aston Villa goalkeeper returns to a city still seeking payback.

According to L'Équipe, the Argentine became a target in France after the 2022 World Cup final, then on 18 April 2024 he outduelled Lucas Chevalier as Villa eliminated LOSC from the Europa Conference League on penalties.

That night in Lille he saved from Nabil Bentaleb and Benjamin André, taunted the crowd and collected a second yellow during the shootout, which did not become a red under law 10.3 of the Laws of the Game.

Whistles for Martinez are expected to be constant. One ultra, Romain, has vowed to make his evening hell and hopes the team can hurt him too.

Since then he has endured a trickier spell. In May 2025 he saluted Villa Park believing it might be his last before a move to Manchester United, but talks, partly over salary, collapsed and he stayed at Villa against his wishes.

His authority has wavered, with muscle issues and a share of the Premier League lead with Nick Pope for errors leading to goals this season, three in total. The FA is also investigating potential betting breaches linked to an ambassador role with an Argentine site, which could bring a heavy fine. Nabil Bentaleb plays down the noise, while Genesio urges calm, saying players must manage emotions against a goalkeeper of real quality.

Source: L'Équipe