Aston Villa face Lille in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals after storming victory over Ajax… and Unai Emery’s men could meet last year’s runners-up Fiorentina in the final

Aston Villa will meet Lille in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.

Unai Emery‘s men face one of the tougher teams left in the draw after their 4-0 aggregate win over Jordan Henderson‘s Ajax in the last 16. 

Lille sit fourth in Ligue 1 and are regular competitors in Europe, with their status having risen after they clinched the French league title in 2021. 

If the Villans advance to the final, they could come up against Fiorentina, who have a bone to pick with English clubs after West Ham beat them 2-1 at the final hurdle last season. 

Should they reach the last four, they will face either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce – a Turkish team who are packed with former Premier League talent. 

Aston Villa have been drawn against Lille in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League

Unai Emery’s side advanced to this stage with a 4-0 triumph over Jordan Henderson’s Ajax

Edin Dzeko, Michy Batshuayi, Dusan Tadic, Fred, Josh King, and Ryan Kent are all notable names on the books with 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 quarter-finals, Belgian side Brugge will face PAOK while Viktoria Plzen will play against Fiorentina. 

The Italian side barely made it through the last 16, beating Maccabi Haifa 4-3 away from home in a comeback win before drawing 1-1 at home. 

Villa are the favourites to lift the trophy and will take great confidence from their 4-0 battering of Ajax on Thursday night.

After a frustrating first leg saw them draw 0-0 in Amsterdam, they turned on the style with goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran, and Moussa Diaby.

That sent Henderson packing from the tournament with his new team-mates, who he linked up with in January. 

Their opponents, Lille, have never reached the final eight of a European competition besides 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 are fourth in Ligue 1 and made it past Austrian outfit Sturm Graz to reach the last eight

Could Villa be destined to face Fiorentina in the final? They lost to West Ham 2-1 in last season’s showpiece event 

Their path to the final might involve Fenerbahce, who are stocked with ex-Premier League stars

The Europa Conference League quarter-finals will be played across two legs on April 11 and April 18. 

Meanwhile, the semi-finals will take place on May 2 and May 9.

The Europa Conference League final will be played in the AEK Athens Arena on May 29. 

Whoever wins the competition will be given a free pass to next season’s Europa League group stages, although Villa will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League via the domestic route.