Lille drawn to face Aston Villa in the Europa League RO16; Lyon get Celta Vigo | OneFootball

Lille have been drawn to face Aston Villa in the Europa League RO16 following today’s draw at UEFA’s Nyon headquarters. Les Dogues qualified for the knockout stage of Europe’s second-tier competition after a gutsy away win last night against Red Star Belgrade in the playoff round. Lille qualified in Serbia courtesy of goals from Olivier Giroud and Nathan Ngoy.

Lille could have drawn Ligue 1 rivals Lyon, who topped the standings in the opening phase. However, they’ll face second-placed Aston Villa, which means the return leg will be held at Villa Park. Aston Villa and Lyon previously faced Les Dogues two years ago in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals. Should Lille were to overcome Unai Emery’s Premier League side, they would face a Serie A team in the quarter-finals, either Bologna or AS Roma.

Meanhwile, Lyon have been drawn to face Liga side RC Celta Viga. Les Gones have been given a relatively kind draw given they have been placed in a quite open silver path. Should they beat RC Celta over two legs, Paulo Fonseca’s Les Gones would face Genk or Feriburg in the quarter-finals.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval