Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Tue 10 March 2026 15:50, UK

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Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace will all hope to advance in their respective European last-16 ties on Thursday.

Villa and Nottingham Forest will be up against Lille and FC Midtjylland, respectively, in the Europa League, while the Eagles take on AEK Larnaca in the Conference League.

Each side’s form has been up and down in the Premier League, with the Tricky Trees fighting relegation, while Unai Emery’s team battle to keep their top four hopes alive.

The Villans had been keeping up with Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table, but have struggled to cope with the demands on their squad in recent weeks.

Villa’s form in the Europa League now looks vital to their chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season amid the risk of falling out of the top four completely.

What time will Premier League sides kick off in Europe?

Villa and Nottingham Forest are expected to progress in the Europa League last 16, although neither side will be counting their chickens.

Vitor Pereira’s side, in particular, face a difficult side in Midtjylland, who have lost just twice in their league campaign this season, and won six of their eight Europa League group games.

The task for Villa is slightly less daunting, with Lille currently sitting sixth in Ligue 1 amid a lacklustre season.

The French side have won three of their last four games, however, and will host Unai Emery’s team in good form.

Villa’s trip to Lille will kick off at the unusual time of 17:45 GMT on Thursday, while Nottingham Forest’s clash will go ahead at 20:00. Palace will also play at 20:00.

How to watch Europa and Conference League action

Palace’s opponents are third in the Cypriot first division, and have won just one of their last four games across all competitions.

AEK Larnaca did not lose during the European league stage, however, and only conceded a single goal.

That game will be available on TNT Sports 2 on Thursday, with both Europa League games to be shown live on TNT Sports 1.

Nottingham Forest’s game will also be live on the radio on talkSPORT 1, with live commentary of Palace’s game on talkSPORT 2.