BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa stands a good chance of advancing to the quarterfinals of a European competition for the third straight year.
The Premier League side needs to protect a 1-0 advantage from Lille in the return leg of the Europa League round of 16 on Thursday at Villa Park.
Coach Unai Emery was cautious. “It’s very important this result but it’s not enough,” he said.
Two years ago, Villa and Lille met in the Conference League quarterfinals and Emery’s side advanced on penalties. Last season, Villa was eliminated in the Champions League quarterfinals by eventual winner Paris Saint-Germain.
Another English club, Nottingham Forest, faces a tougher task in Denmark after a 1-0 home defeat to Midtjylland last week.
Boss Vítor Pereira is expected to rest some of his stars ahead of a Premier League game against Tottenham, with both clubs placed just above the relegation zone.
An all-Italian derby between Roma and Bologna is all square at 1-1 ahead of the second leg in Rome.
Lyon, the winner of the league phase, faces Celta Vigo after a 1-1 draw. Porto has to defend a 2-1 advantage against Stuttgart.
Another Bundesliga side, Freiburg, trails host Genk 1-0 and Real Betis is a goal down against visiting Panathinaikos.
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