The draw for the Europa League last 16 was held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon on Thursday, confirming the line-up for the next phase of the knockout stage, Idman.Biz reports.
One of the more intriguing ties sees Hungarian champions Ferencvaros take on Portuguese side Braga, with both clubs sharing recent history against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag. The two sides will now compete for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ferencvaros were knocked out of this season’s Champions League after losing a dramatic play-off tie 5-4 on aggregate to Gurban Gurbanov’s Qarabag. Braga, meanwhile, suffered a surprise exit at the hands of the Azerbaijani champions in the 2023-24 Europa League round of 32, going down 6-5 over two legs.
Elsewhere in the draw, Nottingham Forest have been paired with Midtjylland, while Aston Villa face a challenging trip to Lille. An all-Italian encounter between Bologna and Roma adds further intrigue, and Panathinaikos will meet Real Betis. Genk take on Freiburg, Celta face Lyon, and Stuttgart have drawn Porto in another evenly matched tie.
The first legs of the last-16 fixtures are scheduled to take place in March, with clubs across the continent eyeing a path to the final in what remains one of Europe’s most competitive competitions.
