Aston Villa are the only Premier League team in the Europa Conference League and stand a good chance of winning the title after David Moyes’ West Ham completed the feat last year. How does the next round work, when is the draw and who could be next for Aston Villa?
Who Could Aston Villa Play in the Round of 16 in Their Bid for European Glory?
Aston Villa are aiming for their first European Trophy since they won the European Cup in 1982.
They topped their group in an impressive and somewhat dramatic fashion. Playing their first game in Europe in 12 years, Villa stalled in a 3-2 away defeat at Legia Warsaw and only managed to follow that with a last-gasp 1-0 victory courtesy of a John Mcginn glancing header in the 94th minute.
However, from then on they have dominated, and by winning their group found themselves in the privileged position to sit out a round of fixtures.
How does the Europa Conference League round of 16 draw work?
It’s simple. The teams that finished second and third in their groups face each other in a playoff round and the victors earn a spot in the round of 16.
The eight teams that came top of their group are seeded and will face the eight victors from the playoff round.
Not only do Emery’s side get to sit out of the round, but they also get the benefit of having the second leg of their round of 16 fixture at home. Which could prove to be a huge advantage.
When and where is the Europa Conference League draw?
The draw is on Friday, February 23, scheduled for 12pm immediately after the Europa League draw.
It will be aired on the UEFA website for free, and TNT Sports 2 will broadcast the draw.
Which teams are left?
In order of group, the group winners and seeded teams are:
Lille, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Viktoria Plzen, Clube Bruges, Aston Villa, Fiorentina, PAOK Salonika, Fenerbahce
The upcoming fixtures and current scores in the knockout rounds are:
- Bodø/Glimt vs Ajax [2-2]
- Dinamo Zagreb vs Real Betis [0-1]
- Ludogorets Razgrad vs Servette [0-0]
- Eintracht Frankfurt vs Union Saint-Gilloise[2-2]
- Ferencvaros vs Olympiacos [1-0]
- Legia Warsaw vs Molde [3-2]
- Slovan Bratislava vs Sturm Graz [4-1]
- Gent vs Maccabi Haifa [1-0] (February 21 – 17:45)
The second leg is on Thursday, February 22 KO at 17:45 and 20:00.
Who do Villa want in the draw?
With the teams that they could potentially face, it seems fair that in their current mould and with confidence high, there aren’t many teams that you feel would give them a competitive game. Ajax appear the only standout.
Whoever it is, beating the West Midlands club across two legs, the latter being at Villa Park, will not prove easy.
