MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 11:57:27| >> :120:4422:4422:

Aston Villa face possible Hibernian tie in Europa Conference League playoffs

Villa face possible Hibernian tie in Europa Conference League
© Reuters
Premier League outfit Aston Villa will play either Hibernian or Luzern in the Europa Conference League playoffs.

Aston Villa will play either Hibernian or Luzern in the Europa Conference League playoffs later this month.

After last season's seventh-placed finish in the Premier League, Villa have been waiting to see who they will have to face in the final qualifying round of a competition won by West Ham United last season.

Unai Emery's side were placed in Group 3 of the draw procedure, being provided with possible encounters against the likes of Lech Poznan, FC Arouca and Adana Demirspor.

The latter were arguably the toughest option on paper, but Villa will now square off against Scottish or Swiss opponents rather than making a trip to Turkey.

Villa will travel to either Hibs or Luzern in the first leg on August 24, the reverse fixture taking place in the West Midlands on August 31.

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson during the match on December 15, 2022© Reuters

Hibs and Luzern are due to square off for the first time later this week, with Lee Johnson's team having had to come from behind to overcome Andorran club Inter d'Escaldes in the second qualifying round.

Meanwhile, Luzern, who finished in fourth place in the Swiss top flight during 2022-23, impressively took the scalp of Djurgarden at the same stage, their opponents having reached the last 16 in the same competition earlier this year.

At one stage this summer, Villa had been on course to be unseeded for the draw, a consequence of their extended absence from continental football.

However, the exclusion of Juventus and other potentially-seeded teams suffering early elimination saw the English side edge into the group of seeds.

Hearts will play either Hajduk Split or PAOK if they can overcome Rosenborg in the third qualifying round, while Northern Irish side Derry City will square off against either Viktoria Plzen or Gzira United if they are able to beat Tobol.

ID:520567:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3752:
Written by
Darren Plant

Click here for more stories about Unai Emery

Click here for more stories about Aston Villa

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Aston Villa's Trezeguet reacts in February 2020
Read Next:
Transfer rumours: Pereira wants Flamengo stay, Trezeguet to leave Villa
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!