Europa League Round of 16: Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest Face Challenging Opponents

Matchups Announced

Aston Villa is set to compete against Lille in the Round of 16 of the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest will take on Midtjylland.

Villa, who secured second place behind Lyon in the group stage, will play the initial match in France. Meanwhile, Forest will head to Denmark for their return leg.

Team Performance

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa currently holds the third position in the Premier League standings, having achieved seven victories and suffered just one defeat in their group matches.

Nottingham Forest, sitting slightly above the relegation zone in the top flight, ended the group stage in 13th place. They advanced to the Round of 16 after triumphing over Fenerbahce with a 4-2 aggregate score in the knockout rounds.

Previous Encounters

In their prior encounter during the group stage in October, Midtjylland emerged victorious against Forest, winning 3-2 at the City Ground when the team was under the management of Ange Postecoglou.

Other Draw Results

The draw, conducted at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on Friday, featured several intriguing matchups. Bologna will compete against Roma in an all-Italian showdown, while group phase champions Lyon will face Celta Vigo.

Additionally, there will be a historic confrontation between Panathinaikos and Real Betis, Stuttgart will play against Porto, Ferencvaros takes on Braga, and Belgian club Genk will meet Freiburg.

The seeded teams, which finished in the top eight of the group stage, have been matched against play-off winners and will enjoy the advantage of hosting the second legs of their ties.

Match Schedule

The first leg matches are slated for March 12, with the second legs scheduled for March 19.

Should Aston Villa secure a win over Lille, they would face either Roma or Bologna in the quarter-finals. If Nottingham Forest manages to defeat Midtjylland, they will take on Stuttgart or Porto in the next round.

Final Venue

The final of the competition is set to take place at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on May 20.