Europa League Draw: Villa, Forest and Palace learn last-16 possibilities ahead of Friday
The europa league draw is set for Friday at 12pm ET, when 16 teams remaining in the competition will discover their round-of-16 pairings; the Europa Conference League draw follows at 1pm ET. Three Premier League clubs — Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace — already know they will face one of two opponents each in the next round.
Europa League Draw: paths for Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa will play either Celta Vigo or Lille in the last 16, while Nottingham Forest will be paired with either Real Betis or Midtjylland. The earliest two English sides could meet in the knockout phase is the quarter-finals, where an Aston Villa versus Nottingham Forest tie is possible; individual pathways will only be fixed once the draw is made.
Crystal Palace and Conference League choices
Crystal Palace's European campaign continues in the Europa Conference League, where they will take on Mainz or AEK Larnaca in the last 16. Crystal Palace do not have any potential English opponents in the Conference League.
How seeding and play-offs shaped the matchups
Every team's potential opponents for the next round has already been narrowed down to two possibilities after the midweek play-offs concluded. Sides that did not require a play-off are seeded — seeded teams finished top eight in the league phase — which means those seeded sides get to play the second leg of their last-16 ties at home. Teams can be drawn against opponents from their own country and against teams they have already faced in the competition.
Recent play-off results that set the matchups
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. Stuttgart, despite losing 1-0 at home to Celtic, went through 4-2 on aggregate.
Schedule and next confirmed dates
The round-of-16 match schedule will be available on Friday evening. The quarter-final match schedule will be confirmed on March 19, while the semi-final schedule will be communicated on April 16. Live coverage of both draws will be available on Friday as the 12pm ET Europa League draw and the 1pm ET Conference League draw take place.
The draws will determine which of the two remaining options each club will face and lock in home-and-away order for the last 16; clubs and supporters will learn the full bracket during the 12pm ET Europa League Draw and the 1pm ET Conference League draw on Friday.
