{"id":25746,"date":"2026-03-12T13:39:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/aston-villa-returns-captain-mcginn-to-face-lille-in-europa-league-last-16\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T13:39:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T13:39:26","slug":"aston-villa-returns-captain-mcginn-to-face-lille-in-europa-league-last-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/12\/aston-villa-returns-captain-mcginn-to-face-lille-in-europa-league-last-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Villa returns captain McGinn to face Lille in Europa League last 16"},"content":{"rendered":"


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LILLE, France (AP) – Aston Villa traveled to Lille to start the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday, boosted by captain John McGinn’s return from injury.<\/p>\n

McGinn has been sidelined for seven weeks since sustaining a knee injury in the Premier League defeat to Everton in January.<\/p>\n

“It’s huge to have him back,” teammate Morgan Rogers said. \u201cHe puts smiles on people\u2019s faces, he plays with that smile, he wears the badge on his sleeve and he brings a lot to our team.\u201d<\/p>\n

Villa and Lille also met in the Conference League quarter-finals two years ago, with Unai Emery’s side winning on penalties.<\/p>\n

Another English team, Nottingham Forest, will have to put relegation worries aside as they welcome Danish club Midtjylland at home.<\/p>\n

In the Italian derby, Bologna will host Roma.<\/p>\n

The Europa League format, which began last season, sees 36 teams compete in a single-place league format before progressing to a tennis-style knockout tournament, with teams from the same country able to play each other at any point during the knockout stage. Previously, domestic derbies were only possible from the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

Celta Vigo will host the first leg against league winners Lyon.<\/p>\n

Real Betis will travel to Panathinaikos, while Stuttgart will play Porto at home. Another Bundesliga club, Freiburg, will play Genk away.<\/p>\n

In the Conference League, Crystal Palace will play AEK Larnaca in London.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP Soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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