Football Mar 04, 2026

Europa League & Conference League last 16 draw: Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace learn opponents

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Europa League & Conference League last 16 draw: Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace learn opponents

Aston Villa have been drawn against Lille in the Europa League last 16, with Nottingham Forest facing Midtjylland as the pair meet again this season.

But there will be no repeat of last season's all-English Europa League final when Tottenham defeated Manchester United in Bilbao, with Villa and Forest set to meet in the semi-finals should they progress to that stage.

Villa, who finished second in the league phase table, will take on French team Lille in a repeat of their Conference League quarter-final in 2024, which saw Unai Emery's side progress on penalties.

Forest face familiar opponents too, as they take on Danish side Midtjylland, who won 3-2 at the City Ground in October in the league phase when Forest were managed by Ange Postecoglou.

But under new boss Vitor Pereira, Forest sealed their place in the last 16 by beating Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in their knockout play-off.

Seeded Villa will have home advantage in the second leg against Lille, but unseeded Forest face a trip to Denmark for the second leg.

Should Villa beat Lille, they would face either Roma or Bologna in the quarter-finals, and if Forest overcome Midtjylland, they would play Stuttgart or Porto.

The last-16 first legs take place on March 12, with the second legs scheduled for March 19.

Crystal Palace will face Cypriot side AEK Larnaca again in the Conference League as the pair battle for a place in the quarter-finals.

The Eagles have the chance to get revenge over Larnaca in the last 16 after a 1-0 home defeat to them in October in the league phase.

Should Oliver Glasner's side progress, they would face either two-time Conference League runners-up Fiorentina or Polish side Rakow Czestochowa.

Unseeded Palace will host Larnaca in the first leg on March 12, with the second leg in Cyprus scheduled for March 19.

First legs: Thursday March 12 (kick-off 8pm unless stated)

Europa League: Lille vs Aston Villa, kick-off 5.45pm

Europa League: Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland

Europa Conference League: Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca

Second legs: Thursday March 19 (kick-off 8pm unless stated)

Europa League: Midtjylland vs Nottingham Forest, 5.45pm kick-off

Europa League: Aston Villa vs Lille

Europa Conference League: AEK Larnaca vs Crystal Palace, 5.45pm kick-off

The quarter-finals and, in principle, the semi-finals match schedule will be communicated on March 20.

Aston Villa's pathway to the Europa League final is one littered with history and reunions. Two years on from a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Lille in the Conference League, the two sides meet again.

Pantomime villain Emiliano Martinez starred on that day, saving the decisive penalty after avoiding a red card midway through the shoot-out, despite receiving his second booking of the game.

Trademark celebrations soon followed as he soaked up the animosity from the French crowd. That, coupled with his antics from the World Cup triumph with Argentina over France, could create quite the cauldron at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy when he returns.

Villa will be tasked with replicating the same success over two legs to continue their quest to end their 30-year wait for a trophy and if they do achieve that, the drama won't stop there.

A meeting with Roma and on-loan striker Donyell Malen could then await, should they be successful in the tie against Bologna. UEFA rules state no team can influence what line-up their opponent selects and that would allow Malen to face off against his parent club in a bid to dump them out of the competition.

Porto, Nottingham Forest, Midtjylland and Stuttgart make up the rest of that side of the bracket. Villa were undoubtedly handed a harder route to glory; the storylines running alongside it just add to the drama.

The top eight teams from the league phase in both competitions are seeded and will have home advantage in the second leg of their round of 16 games.

This will extend to the quarter-finals for the teams that finished in the top four of the league phase if they progress.

The top two will also have home advantage in the second leg of their semi-final if successful.

Any team that eliminates a seeded team will take their privileges.

Round of 16: March 12 and 19
Quarter-finals: April 9 and 16
Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7
Final: May 20

The Europa League final will be held at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on May 20.

The Conference League final will be one week later at the Leipzig Stadium on May 27.

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Matt Bloomfield interview: Oxford United boss believes club can avoid Championship relegation

Matt Bloomfield interview: Oxford United boss believes club can avoid Championship relegation

It was a victory that gave Oxford United and Matt Bloomfield real hope.A 2-1 win over West Brom, to move within three points of the Baggies and safety...

Why has Premier League seen influx of holding and grappling at set-pieces - can anything be done to stop it?

Why has Premier League seen influx of holding and grappling at set-pieces - can anything be done to stop it?

There has been a significant increase in the number of penalties awarded in the Premier League for shirt pulling or holding, Your Site News can reveal...

Reporter Notebook: Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses show power of unity in poignant victory over Ukraine

Reporter Notebook: Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses show power of unity in poignant victory over Ukraine

It took almost three days for the Ukraine national team to escape a war zone to get to Turkey for their game against England. Unbeknown to them, they...

Bruno Fernandes' Man Utd future will depend on Champions League qualification and Michael Carrick - Paper Talk and transfer gossip

Bruno Fernandes' Man Utd future will depend on Champions League qualification and Michael Carrick - Paper Talk and transfer gossip

The top stories and transfer rumours from Wednesday's newspapers...PREMIER LEAGUEBruno Fernandes will decide his Manchester United future at the end o...

Leicester City 0-2 Norwich City: Anis Slimane and Ali Ahmed steer Canaries to victory

Leicester City 0-2 Norwich City: Anis Slimane and Ali Ahmed steer Canaries to victory

Norwich condemned relegation-threatened Leicester to a fourth successive home Sky Bet Championship defeat to end Gary Rowett's unbeaten start as manag...

Pep Guardiola tells fans to 'respect religion' after Ramadan break booed during Man City's win at Leeds

Pep Guardiola tells fans to 'respect religion' after Ramadan break booed during Man City's win at Leeds

Pep Guardiola urged fans to "respect religion" after audible boos were heard during a brief stoppage to allow a number of players to end their Ramadan...