Europa Conference League Quarter-Final Draw: Aston Villa to Face Lille After Thrashing Ajax
The draw for the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League took place on Friday.
Aston Villa were paired with French side Lille.
The other quarter-final ties drawn were Club Brugge vs. PAOK, Olympiacos vs. Fenerbahce, and Viktoria Plzen vs. Fiorentina.
Villa booked their spot in the last eight on Thursday night by thrashing Ajax 4-0 thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Jhon Duran and Moussa Diaby.
UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final draw
- Club Brugge vs. PAOK
- Olympiacos vs. Fenerbahce
- Aston Villa vs. Lille
- Viktoria Plzen vs. Fiorentina
Jhon Duran pictured celebrating after scoring a goal for Aston Villa in a 4-0 win over Ajax in the UEFA Europa Conference League's round of 16 on Thursday
IMAGO/PA Images/Nick Potts
The distance between Birmingham and Lille is only around 400 miles.
However, Villa will have to do a lot more traveling if they make it past the French side.
The draw for the semi-finals also took place on Friday.
Villa or Lille will meet either Olympiacos or Fenerbahce in the last four.
Both Athens and Istanbul are more than 2,500 miles away from Villa Park.
Villa might need to fly to Athens twice because this season's Europa Conference League final is taking place in the Greek capital at AEK Arena on May 29.
Europa Conference League semi-final draw
- Aston Villa or Lille vs. Olympiacos or Fenerbahce
- Viktoria Plzen or Fiorentina vs. Club Brugge or PAOK
Europa Conference League dates
- Quarter-finals: April 11 and 18
- Semi-finals: May 2 and 9
- Final: May 29 (AEK Arena, Athens)
