Aston Villa will face Ajax in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League, seeing Jordan Henderson play an English club for the first time since leaving Liverpool.
Henderson will face Villa after Ajax squeezed through the play-off round against Bodo/Glimt, while Unai Emery’s team qualified directly for this stage after topping their group.
He left Liverpool for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq in the summer but moved to the Dutch side in January after being unsettled in the Middle East.
Ajax will welcome Villa on March 7 before taking a trip to the Midlands on the 14th.
It will be a clash of arguably the two biggest sides left in the competition, although last year’s finalists Fiorentina are still left, as are Lille and Fenerbahce.
Aston Villa have been drawn against Ajax in the last 16 of the Europa Conference League
Unai Emery’s side will face Jordan Henderson’s new club on March 7 and at home on March 14
Henderson, who has been installed as Ajax’s captain, has faced Villa 22 times in his career, winning 13 games, losing five, and drawing four.
Villans are fourth in the Premier League and qualified for the last 16 with four wins, a draw, and a defeat, the latter being a 3-2 loss at Legia Warsaw.
It has not been smooth sailing as of late as they have picked up just two wins in seven games in all competition.
In other ties, Lille face a favourable draw against Sturm Graz, Fiorentina are favourites against Maccabi Haifa, and Fenerbache meet Union Saint-Gilloise, who beat Liverpool 2-1 in Belgium in the Europa League group stages.
A newly resurgent Olympiacos, buoyed by fresh manager Jose Luis Mendilibar, face maccabi Tel Aviv.
Elsewhere, Molde take on Club Brugge, Servette have been drawn against Viktoria Plzen, and Dinamo Zagreb battle PAOK.
While Villa are the only British side left in the Europa Conference League, there are four still standing in the Europa League.
Liverpool, Henderson’s former club, were drawn against Sparta Prague in the last 16 of the Europa League earlier today.
Meanwhile, West Ham will lock horns with Freiburg, Brighton will dance with Roma, and Rangers will look to thwart Portuguese league leaders Benfica.
More to follow.
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