Aston Villa Fixtures and Round of 16 Draw Confirm Lille Tie
The Europa League and Europa Conference League last-16 draws set up fresh tests for English clubs, with aston villa fixtures now showing a trip to Lille and Crystal Palace drawn against AEK Larnaca; Nottingham Forest will face Midtjylland in the other Europa League tie.
Round of 16 draw delivers Lille for Villa
Aston Villa have been drawn against Lille in the Europa League last 16, a repeat of the teams' meeting in the 2024 Conference League quarter-final when Unai Emery's side progressed on penalties, and Villa — who finished second in the league phase table — are seeded and will have home advantage in the second leg against Lille.
Aston Villa Fixtures
The first legs of the last 16 are scheduled for March 12 and the second legs for March 19; the draw lists Lille vs Aston Villa with a kick-off at 5. 45pm ET for that first leg, while most other first-leg kick-offs are set for 8pm ET unless stated otherwise.
Forest drawn with Midtjylland amid managerial change
Nottingham Forest will face Midtjylland in the Europa League last 16; Midtjylland beat Forest 3-2 at the City Ground in October during the league phase when Forest were managed by Ange Postecoglou. Forest, now under new boss Vitor Pereira, reached the last 16 by beating Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in their knockout play-off, but as an unseeded side they will travel to Denmark for the second leg.
Palace to face AEK Larnaca and seek revenge
Crystal Palace have drawn Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the Conference League last 16 and will host the first leg on March 12, with the second leg in Cyprus scheduled for March 19. Palace lost 1-0 at home to Larnaca in October during the league phase, giving Oliver Glasner's side a chance for immediate revenge.
Paths forward and quarter-final permutations
Should Aston Villa beat Lille, they would face either Roma or Bologna in the quarter-finals; if Forest overcome Midtjylland, they would meet Stuttgart or Porto. If Crystal Palace progress past AEK Larnaca, they would face either Fiorentina or Rakow Czestochowa in the next round.
Key first-leg fixtures and times on March 12 (kick-off times ET):
- Lille vs Aston Villa — kick-off 5. 45pm ET
- Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland — kick-off 8pm ET unless otherwise stated
- Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca — kick-off 8pm ET unless otherwise stated
All second legs are scheduled for Thursday March 19, with most kick-offs at 8pm ET unless stated otherwise. The draw also ensures there will be no repeat of last season's all-English Europa League final — last season Tottenham defeated Manchester United in Bilbao — because Villa and Forest, if they both progress, would only be able to meet in the semi-finals.
Clubs now prepare for the March 12 first legs and the March 19 return fixtures; teams and supporters will turn their attention to those dates as the next confirmed milestones in both competitions.
