Juventus have pulled out of the UEFA Conference League qualifying according to multiple reports - meaning they can no longer face Hearts or Hibs in the playoff round should the Edinburgh sides get that far.
But their withdrawal bumps Aston Villa into the seeded section meaning a potential Premier League opponent could be coming to the capital. Hibs will face either Vikingur or Inter Club D'Escaldes in the second qualifying round and should they make it through they will be joined by rivals Hearts in the third qualifying round. If they both make it beyond that, they will go into the playoff round - where Juventus were one of six teams guaranteed to join them. Lille, Eintracht Frankfurt, Athletic Bilbao, Fiorentina and Villa are the others who get byes straight to the playoff round.
Based on coefficient rankings, Juve, Lille and Frankfurt would have been guaranteed seeded spots making them potential opponents for Hearts and Hibs while Villa, Fiorentina and Athletic drop into the unseeded section. But bombshell reports from Marca in Spain and Corriere dello Sport in Italy now say Juve have reached a "plea agreement" with UEFA to pull out of the competition this season.
And their withdrawal means Villa - who were scheduled to join the Premiership sides in the unseeded section - are bumped up into the seeded bracket. That's according to UEFA Rankings on Twitter.
The news comes after Juve were handed a ten-point deduction for financial irregularities last season. That led them to a seventh-placed finish and is the reason they are in Conference League qualifying in the first place. But it now looks as if they will forfeit their place as a concession to UEFA to avoid sanctions down the line.
It means Villa, Lille and Eintracht Frankfurt are all guaranteed to be in the hat as potential opponents for Hearts and Hibs when the draw comes around for the playoff round. First legs are pencilled in to start on August 24. Fiorentina and Athletic Bilbao - the other two teams with guaranteed playoff spots in the main path - will go into the unseeded bracket alongside the rest of the victorious qualifiers.
