UEFA Europa League last 16 draw: Aston Villa to face Lille as Unai Emery targets trophy again, Nottingham Forest set for FC Midtjylland reunion
By Ben Snowball
Updated 27/02/2026 at 12:55 GMT
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Aston Villa will face Lille over two legs in the UEFA Europa League last 16, while Nottingham Forest meet FC Midtjylland. After taking Villa to a second-placed finish in the league phase, Unai Emery is now targeting a fifth Europa League title. Forest, meanwhile, successfully navigated their play-off with Fenerbache and will now be after revenge after a 3-2 defeat against Midtjylland in October.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Aston Villa will face Lille in the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League, while Nottingham Forest have been drawn against FC Midtjylland.
After finishing second in the league phase, Villa avoided the play-offs and will now face Lille for a spot in the quarter-finals, with Celta Vigo having been their other potential opponent.
Ligue 1 side Lille finished 18th in the league phase and came through a play-off tie with Red Star Belgrade to reach this stage of the competition.
Forest, meanwhile, finished 13th in the league phase, forcing them to navigate the play-offs, but they qualified by virtue of a 4-2 aggregate victory over Fenerbahçe.
Despite a 2-1 defeat at the City Ground on Thursday, Vitor Pereira's men had broken the back of the tie with a 3-0 win in the first leg in Turkey.
They have been rewarded with a last-16 clash against Midtjylland, who finished the league phase in third place, with Real Betis the other side they could have faced.
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Highlights: Forest supporters turn on Postecoglou during five-goal thriller
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It presents an opportunity for revenge for Forest, having faced Midtjylland in the league phase in October and losing 3-2 on home soil as the mood towards then manager Ange Postecoglou soured.
The last-16 ties will be played on March 12 and 19, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals taking place in April before the final in Istanbul on May 20.
The teams that finished in the top eight of the league phase were seeded for the last 16 and will play the second leg of the ties at home.
That means Villa will be playing their second leg on home soil, while Forest will take on Midtjylland at the City Ground in the first leg of their tie.
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Should they progress through their last-16 tie, Aston Villa will have an Italian opponent waiting in the quarter-finals, with Bologna and Roma making up their quarter of the draw.
Villa boss Unai Emery is targeting his fifth Europa League title, having triumphed three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal, making him the most successful manager in the competition's history.
Forest, meanwhile, will face either Stuttgart or Porto in the last eight if they advance past Midtjylland.
The two English teams are then projected to meet in the semi-finals of the competition.
Europa League last 16 draw
- Ferencvaros v SC Braga
- Panathinaikos v Real Betis
- Genk v SC Freiburg
- Celta v Lyon
- Stuttgart v FC Porto
- Nottingham Forest v FC Midtjylland
- Bologna v AS Roma
- Lille v Aston Villa
Europa League knockout phase dates
Last 16: March 12 and March 19
Quarter-finals: April 9 and April 16
Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7
Final: May 20
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