BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa has a good chance of reaching the European quarter-finals for the third year in a row.
The Premier League side will have to defend their 1-0 advantage against Lille in the return leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie at Villa Park on Thursday.
Coach Unai Emery was cautious. “This result is very important, but it is not enough on its own,” he said.
Two years ago, Villa and Lille met in the Conference League quarter-finals, with Emery’s side winning on penalties. Last season, Villa were eliminated in the Champions League quarter-finals by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Another English club, Nottingham Forest, faces a tougher task in Denmark after losing 1-0 at home to Midtjylland last week.
Manager Vitor Pereira is expected to rest some of his star players ahead of the Premier League game against Tottenham, with both clubs sitting just above the relegation zone.
The all-Italian derby between Rome and Bologna is tied at 1-1 ahead of the second leg in Rome.
Lyon, the winners of the league match, will face Celta Vigo after a 1-1 draw. Porto must defend their 2-1 advantage against Stuttgart.
Another Bundesliga team, Freiburg, defeated hosts Genk 1-0, while Real Betis lost by one goal to visiting Panathinaikos.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
