Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are set for a high-stakes showdown at Villa Park as they reconvene for the second leg of their all-English UEFA Europa League semi-final on Thursday evening.
Forest arrive with a slender advantage after edging the first leg 1-0, while also riding momentum from their impressive 3-1 victory over Chelsea on May 4, 2026. That result has boosted confidence in the Forest camp as they chase a place in the final, where either Braga or SC Freiburg await in Istanbul later this month.
For Villa, the task is clear—overturn the deficit and keep their European dream alive. Under Unai Emery, they have shown strong pedigree in continental competitions, finishing second in the league phase before comfortably progressing past Lille OSC and Bologna FC.
Aston Villa posted on their x handle:
The Birmingham side will take confidence from their formidable home record in Europe, having won their last nine matches at Villa Park while consistently finding the net. Emery’s track record in this competition is also remarkable, with the Spaniard winning the Europa League four times and boasting a long unbeaten run in two-legged ties.
Historically, Villa have also enjoyed dominance over Forest at home, remaining unbeaten in their last 10 meetings at Villa Park since 1994. However, recent form raises concerns, as Villa head into the clash on the back of a dip in domestic results, including a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
With a place in the final on the line and decades having passed since their last major European triumph in the 1982 European Cup, Villa must deliver a big performance or risk seeing their continental hopes slip away
Team News
Inevitably, all of Aston Villa’s main men will return – particularly after Emery’s reserves underwhelmed against Spurs – and Ollie Watkins leads that list.
Villa captain John McGinn missed Sunday’s defeat with a minor muscular problem, but he should be back in the hosts’ squad on Thursday.
However, Amadou Onana has failed to recover from a calf strain, Ross Barkley is ineligible and Boubacar Kamara is still injured.
Nottingham Forest’s Igor Jesus has been involved in the most away goals (five); he has also recorded the most shots (34) and shots on target (16) in the competition overall.
Pereira made eight changes on Monday, with Luca Netz getting his first league start alongside several fringe players, but a cameo appearance by star man Morgan Gibbs-White could prove costly.
Although the England international avoided concussion, he did sustain a deep cut after colliding with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Forest were already without Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare and Murillo; Dan Ndoye is still a doubt, while Nicolo Savona, Callum Hudson-Odoi, John Victor and Willy Boly are all sidelined.
Possible Lineup
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Abbott, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Hutchinson, Dominguez, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Jesus, Wood
Where to watch
| Region | Broadcaster |
| Nigeria | SuperSport, DStv |
| UK | TNT Sports |
| USA | CBS Sports, Paramount+ |
| Europe | DAZN, Canal+ |
Prediction
Softfootball predicts Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Expect another tight contest, as Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are taking a more cautious approach in Europe: both have kept seven clean sheets so far, including three apiece in the knockout phase.
Villa are the competition favourites, recent displays suggest they may be running out of gas; meanwhile, Forest have also found peak form at just the right time, so East can beat West in this big Midlands showdown. But villa remains the favorites
