Aston Villa will face French side Lille in the Europa League round of 16, marking the second meeting between both clubs in three seasons.
Gatekeepers News reports that Unai Emery’s side, who finished second in the league phase behind Lyon, will travel to France for the first leg on March 12 before hosting the return leg in Birmingham on March 19.
Villa previously met Lille in the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals, where the English club progressed on penalties. The Midlands side were also quarter-finalists in last season’s Champions League, losing to Paris Saint-Germain.
If Villa overcome Lille, they will advance to face either Bologna or Roma in the quarter-finals.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have been drawn against Danish club Midtjylland in another repeat encounter. Forest reached the last 16 after defeating Fenerbahce in the knockout play-offs but had earlier suffered a 3-2 home defeat to Midtjylland during the league phase.
Midtjylland, currently second in the Danish league, finished third in the Europa League’s 36-team league phase. Should Forest progress, they will meet either German Cup holders VfB Stuttgart or two-time champions FC Porto in the quarter-finals.
There is also the possibility of an all-English semi-final if both Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest advance through their respective ties.
Elsewhere, Lyon will face Spain’s Celta Vigo, Panathinaikos will take on Real Betis, Ferencvaros meet Braga, and Freiburg have been paired with Belgian side Genk.
The Europa League final will be played at Besiktas Stadium in Istanbul on May 20.
Europa League round-of-16 fixtures
•Genk vs Freiburg
•Bologna vs Roma
•Ferencvaros vs Braga
•Stuttgart vs Porto
•Panathinaikos vs Real Betis
•Nottingham Forest vs Midtjylland
•Celta Vigo vs Lyon
•Lille vs Aston Villa
First-leg matches will be played on March 12, with the return fixtures scheduled for March 19.
