By Aston Villa FC

Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League round of 16 following Wednesday evening’s victory over Celtic.

A thrilling 4-2 triumph over the Hoops at Villa Park, combined with other results elsewhere falling in the Villans' favour, means they end the league phase eighth in the table, with an impressive record of five wins, one draw and two defeats.

And a top-eight finish means Unai Emery’s side will automatically advance straight through to the last 16 of the competition, skipping the round of 32 play-offs for sides who ended the league phase between ninth and 24th.

Villa will now face either Atalanta (finished 9th), Borussia Dortmund (10th), Sporting Lisbon (23rd) or Club Brugge (24th) in the next round.

The draw for the two-legged round of 16 is set to take place on Friday, February 21, with ties to be played over the week commencing Monday, March 3 (first leg) and week commencing Monday, March 10 (second leg).

UTV! 💜

UEFA Champions League