Aston Villa have been drawn against Lille in the Europa League last 16, with Nottingham Forest facing Midtjylland as the pair meet again this season.
But there will be no repeat of last season’s all-English Europa League final when Tottenham defeated Manchester United in Bilbao, with Villa and Forest set to meet in the semi-finals should they progress to that stage.
Villa, who finished second in the league phase table, will take on French team Lille in a repeat of their Conference League quarter-final in 2024, which saw Unai Emery’s side progress on penalties.
Forest face familiar opponents too, as they take on Danish side Midtjylland, who won 3-2 at the City Ground in October in the league phase when Forest were managed by Ange Postecoglou.
But under new boss Vitor Pereira, Forest sealed their place in the last 16 by beating Fenerbahce 4-2 on aggregate in their knockout play-off.
Seeded Villa will have home advantage in the second leg against Lille, but unseeded Forest face a trip to Denmark for the second leg.
Should Villa beat Lille, they would face either Roma or Bologna in the quarter-finals, and if Forest overcome Midtjylland, they would play Stuttgart or Porto.
The last-16 first legs take place on March 12, with the second legs scheduled for March 19.
Palace to play AEK Larnaca again
Crystal Palace will face Cypriot side AEK Larnaca again in the Conference League as the pair battle for a place in the quarter-finals.
The Eagles have the chance to get revenge over Larnaca in the last 16 after a 1-0 home defeat to them in October in the league phase.
Should Oliver Glasner’s side progress, they would face either two-time Conference League runners-up Fiorentina or Polish side Rakow Czestochowa.
Unseeded Palace will host Larnaca in the first leg on March 12, with the second leg in Cyprus scheduled for March 19.
History, reunions & drama littered across Villa’s route to glory
Aston Villa’s pathway to the Europa League final is one littered with history and reunions. Two years on from a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Lille in the Conference League, the two sides meet again.
Pantomime villain Emiliano Martinez starred on that day, saving the decisive penalty after avoiding a red card midway through the shoot-out, despite receiving his second booking of the game.
Trademark celebrations soon followed as he soaked up the animosity from the French crowd. That, coupled with his antics from the World Cup triumph with Argentina over France, could create quite the cauldron at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy when he returns.
Emi Martinez celebrates Aston Villa’s ECL victory over Lille in 2024
Villa will be tasked with replicating the same success over two legs to continue their quest to end their 30-year wait for a trophy and if they do achieve that, the drama won’t stop there.
A meeting with Roma and on-loan striker Donyell Malen could then await, should they be successful in the tie against Bologna. UEFA rules state no team can influence what line-up their opponent selects and that would allow Malen to face off against his parent club in a bid to dump them out of the competition.
Porto, Nottingham Forest, Midtjylland and Stuttgart make up the rest of that side of the bracket. Villa were undoubtedly handed a harder route to glory; the storylines running alongside it just add to the drama.
When will fixture dates be announced?
The last 16 match schedule will be available on Friday night.
The quarter-finals and, in principle, the semi-finals match schedule will be communicated on March 20.
Home advantage in second legs for seeded teams
The top eight teams from the league phase in both competitions are seeded and will have home advantage in the second leg of their round of 16 games.
This will extend to the quarter-finals for the teams that finished in the top four of the league phase if they progress.
The top two will also have home advantage in the second leg of their semi-final if successful.
Any team that eliminates a seeded team will take their privileges.
When are the 2025/26 knockout stages?
Round of 16: March 12 and 19
Quarter-finals: April 9 and 16
Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7
Final: May 20
Where are the finals?
The Europa League final will be held at Besiktas Park in Istanbul on May 20.
The Conference League final will be one week later at the Leipzig Stadium on May 27.
