Aston Villa drew with Lille in the last 16 of the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest will face Midtjylland again this season.
But there will be no repeat of last season’s all-England Europa League final, in which Tottenham defeated Manchester United in Bilbao. If they advance to that stage, Villa and Forest will meet in the semi-finals.
Villa, who finished second in the league phase table, will face French side Lille in a repeat of the 2024 Conference League quarter-finals, which Unai Emery’s side won on penalties.
Forest also face a familiar opponent as they take on Danish side Midtjylland, who they won 3-2 at the City Ground in October’s league match under manager Ange Postecoglou.
However, under new manager Vitor Pereira, Forest defeated Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in the knockout play-offs to secure a place in the last 16.
Seeded Villa will have home advantage in the second leg against Lille, while unseeded Forest will travel to Denmark.
If Villa win against Lille, they will face Roma or Bologna in the quarter-finals, and if Forest win against Midtjylland, they will face Stuttgart or Porto.
The first leg of the last 16 will be held on March 12th, with the second leg scheduled for March 19th.
Palace to face AEK Larnaca again
Crystal Palace will once again face Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the Conference League for a place in the quarter-finals.
The Eagles have a chance to get revenge against Larnaca in the last 16 after losing 1-0 at home to Larnaca in the league match in October.
If Oliver Glasner’s side advance, they will face either two-time Conference League runners-up Fiorentina or Poland’s Raków Czestochowa.
Unceded Palace host Larnaca in the first leg on March 12th, with the second leg in Cyprus scheduled for March 19th.
Round of 16 schedule decided
First leg: Thursday 12th March (8pm kick-off unless otherwise stated)
Europa League: Lille vs. Aston Villa, 5.45pm kick-off
Europa League: Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland
European Conference League: Crystal Palace vs AEK Larnaca
Second leg: Thursday 19th March (8pm kick-off unless otherwise stated)
Europa League: Midtjylland vs. Nottingham Forest, 5.45pm kick-off
Europa League: Aston Villa vs Lille
European Conference League: AEK Larnaca vs Crystal Palace, 5.45pm kick-off
Match dates for the quarterfinals and semifinals will be announced on March 20th.
Villa’s path to glory is littered with history, reunions and drama
Aston Villa’s journey to the Europa League final is littered with history and reunions. Two years after their dramatic penalty shootout victory over Lille in the Conference League, the two sides will meet again.
The day featured pantomime villain Emiliano Martinez, who avoided a red card and saved a crucial penalty midway through the shootout despite receiving his second caution of the match.
A trademark celebration soon followed as he absorbed the hostility from the French crowd. This, combined with his antics during Argentina’s World Cup win over France, means his return could spark a major conflagration at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
Emi Martinez celebrates Aston Villa’s 2024 ECL win against Lille
Villa will be tasked with repeating that success over two games to continue their quest to end a 30-year trophy drought, but if they can achieve that, the drama won’t stop there.
A win against Bologna could lead to talks with Roma and on-loan striker Donyell Malen. UEFA rules state that no team can influence the selection of their opponents’ squad, which would allow Malen to play against his parent club and knock his team out of the competition.
Porto, Nottingham Forest, Midtjylland and Stuttgart make up the remaining teams. Villa were arguably given a more difficult path to glory. The parallel stories make the drama even more exciting.
Home advantage for seeded teams in the second leg
The top eight teams in the league stage of both competitions will be seeded and receive home advantage for the second leg of the round of 16 matches.
This will be extended to the quarter-finals if teams finishing in the top four of the league phase advance.
If successful, the top two teams will also have home advantage in the second leg of the semi-final.
The team that eliminates the seeded team will be stripped of its privileges.
When is the knockout stage in 2025/26?
Round 16: March 12th and 19th
Quarterfinals: April 9th and 16th
Semi-finals: April 30th and May 7th
Last day: May 20th
Where is the final match?
The Europa League final will be held on May 20th at Besiktas Park in Istanbul.
The Conference League final will be held a week later on May 27th at the Leipzig Stadium.
