Aston Villa Fixtures: Europa & Conference League Last-16 Draw and What It Means for Villa, Forest and Palace
The Europa and Conference League last-16 draw reshapes immediate priorities for English clubs — and aston villa fixtures are front and center. Villa face Lille while Nottingham Forest draw Midtjylland, and Crystal Palace meet AEK Larnaca in the Conference League. These ties set up possible cross-border quarter-final paths and semifinal permutations that directly affect scheduling, travel and tactical planning for managers and supporters over the month ahead.
Aston Villa Fixtures: immediate consequences for match plans and routes forward
Here’s the part that matters: Villa's tie with Lille is a repeat of a knockout meeting from 2024, and progression for either English side creates clear quarter-final routes that alter priorities. Villa finished second in the league phase table and are seeded, which gives them home advantage in the second leg against Lille. By contrast, Nottingham Forest are unseeded and will travel to Denmark for their second leg if they advance.
Draw details and the matchups themselves
Aston Villa will face Lille in the Europa League last 16. Nottingham Forest were drawn against Midtjylland. Crystal Palace have been paired with Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the Conference League last 16.
Where these ties link to recent meetings and managers
Villa’s meeting with Lille echoes their 2024 Conference League quarter-final, which saw Unai Emery's side progress on penalties. Forest’s draw reconnects them with Midtjylland, who recorded a 3-2 victory at the City Ground in October when Forest were managed by Ange Postecoglou. Forest secured their place in this last-16 stage under new boss Vitor Pereira by beating Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in the knockout play-off. Crystal Palace, led by Oliver Glasner, get a repeat clash with AEK Larnaca after a 1-0 home defeat to them in October in the league phase.
Schedule, kick-off times and leg order
- 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)
Paths on offer: quarter-final scenarios and potential opponents
Progression has clear knock-on effects. Should Villa beat Lille, they would face either Roma or Bologna in the quarter-finals. If Forest overcome Midtjylland, their next opponent would be Stuttgart or Porto. In the Conference League, if Glasner's side progress from the Palace vs Larnaca tie, they would meet either Fiorentina or Rakow Czestochowa.
These matchups are more than fixtures: they change travel plans, training cycles and selection choices for the clubs involved. For Villa and Forest there’s an added subplot — while both are in the Europa League draw, there will be no repeat of last season's all-English final, which ended when Tottenham defeated Manchester United in Bilbao; instead Villa and Forest could meet in the semi-finals if they each progress deep enough.
Micro timeline (key prior touchpoints tied to these draws):
- October: Midtjylland beat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at the City Ground.
- October: AEK Larnaca beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Palace’s home in the league phase.
- 2024: Villa beat Lille on penalties in a Conference League quarter-final.
It’s easy to overlook, but seedings matter here: Villa’s seeded status grants a second-leg home advantage, while Forest and Palace are unseeded and face away second legs. That flips common planning assumptions around home advantage across the two-leg ties.
Writer's aside: these draws compress several narrative threads — recent meetings, managerial change and seeding — into a narrow competitive window. Details such as exact kick-off times and venues are set, but matchday dynamics will determine whether projected quarter-final pairings materialize or shift.
For supporters tracking aston villa fixtures and the broader English presence in both competitions, the coming matches on March 12 and March 19 will deliver early confirmation of which cross-border quarter-final pathways remain open.
