Europa and Conference League draws set for Friday as Villa, Forest and Palace learn last-16 fate
The Europa League and conference league draws will take place on Friday, with 16 teams left in each competition and three Premier League clubs among them; the Europa League draw is scheduled for 12: 00 p. m. and the Conference League draw for 1: 00 p. m.
Draw times and immediate stakes
The two knockout draws run back-to-back on Friday, with the Europa League at 12: 00 p. m. and the Conference League at 1: 00 p. m. Each competition has 16 teams remaining, and every team's potential opponents for the last 16 have already been narrowed down to two possibilities.
Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace face two options
Aston Villa will discover whether they face Celta Vigo or PAOK in the Europa League last 16; Nottingham Forest will be drawn against Real Betis or Midtjylland; and Crystal Palace will learn if they take on Mainz or AEK Larnaca in the Conference League. With the midweek play-offs concluding, those three English clubs know their two possible opponents but do not yet know their individual pathways until the draw is made.
Conference League pathways and English matchups
Crystal Palace do not have any potential English opponents in the Conference League. The earliest two English teams could face each other is the quarter-finals of the Europa League between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.
Seeded status and home advantage explained
Sides that did not require a play-off will be seeded; seeded teams are those that finished top eight in the league phase and will play the second leg of their last-16 ties at home. Teams can be drawn against opponents from their own country and also against opponents they have already faced in the competition.
Play-off results that set the field
Celta Vigo beat PAOK 3-1 on aggregate, winning 1-0 in their Europa League play-off second leg. Lille bounced back from losing the first leg to win 2-0 at Red Star Belgrade. Robbie Keane's Ferencvaros overturned a one-goal first-leg deficit to win 2-0 at home and knock out Ludogorets Razgrad. Despite losing 1-0 at home to Celtic, Stuttgart went through 4-2 on aggregate.
Recent highlights and what fans noticed
Recent match highlights include a headline described as "Forest survive Fenerbahce scare" and another reading "Bodo/Glimt make history with stunning victory over Inter, " underscoring dramatic results in the run-up to the draws.
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The round-of-16 match schedule will be available on Friday evening. The quarter-final match schedule will be confirmed on March 19, and the semi-final schedule will be communicated on April 16. Live coverage of the draws will be available online and apps on Friday.
