- Aston Villa will play against Lille in the quarterfinals of the Europa Conference League
- They could face star-studded Fenerbahce in the semi-finals and Fiorentina in the final.
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Aston Villa will face Lille in the quarterfinals of the Europa Conference League.
Unai Emery’s men face one of the toughest teams left in the draw after their 4-0 aggregate victory over Jordan Henderson’s Ajax in the last 16.
Lille sit in fourth place in Ligue 1 and are a regular competitor in Europe, and their status has increased after winning the French league title in 2021.
If the Villans advance to the final they could face Fiorentina, who have unfinished business with English clubs after West Ham beat them 2-1 at the final hurdle last season.
If they reach the quarterfinals, they will face either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce, a Turkish team packed with former Premier League talent.
Aston Villa will face Lille in the quarterfinals of the Europa Conference League.
Unai Emery’s team advanced to this phase with a 4-0 victory over Jordan Henderson’s Ajax
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Edin Dzeko, Michy Batshuayi, Dusan Tadic, Fred, Josh King and Ryan Kent are notable names on the books of the Istanbul-based club.
Striker Dzeko won two Premier League crowns with Manchester City, while Fred spent five seasons in Manchester United’s midfield.
In the other quarterfinals, Belgian club Brugge will face PAOK, while Viktoria Plzen will play Fiorentina.
The Italian team barely made it to the round of 16, beating Maccabi Haifa 4-3 away from home in a comeback before drawing 1-1 at home.
Villa are the favorites to lift the trophy and will be high on confidence after their 4-0 thrashing of Ajax on Thursday night.
After a frustrating first leg that saw them draw 0-0 in Amsterdam, they changed their style with goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby.
That caused Henderson to withdraw from the tournament with his new teammates, whom he joined in January.
Their rivals, Lille, have never reached the last 16 of a European competition, except when they were one of the winners of the 2004 Intertoto Cup, which doesn’t exactly count.
Lille beat Austrian side Sturm Graz 3-0 away before drawing 1-1 on Thursday to book their place.
Lille is fourth in Ligue 1 and beat Austrian side Sturm Graz to reach the quarterfinals.
Could Villa be destined to face Fiorentina in the final? They lost to West Ham 2-1 in last season’s main event.
Their path to the final could involve Fenerbahce, who boast former Premier League stars.
The Europa Conference League quarterfinals will be played over two legs on April 11 and 18.
Meanwhile, the semi-finals will take place on May 2 and 9.
The Europa Conference League final will be played at the AEK Athens Arena on May 29.
Whoever wins the competition will have a free pass to the group stage of next season’s Europa League, although Villa hopes to qualify for the Champions League domestically.