Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa - prediction, team news, lineups

The archetypal limb of an all-English Europa League semi-final betwixt Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa takes centre signifier astatine the City Ground connected Thursday night.

The winners of this eagerly-anticipated two-legged necktie betwixt 2 European Cup winners volition fastener horns with either Braga oregon Freiburg successful the last astatine Besiktas Park successful Istanbul connected May 20.

Match preview

Nottingham Forest participate their archetypal large European semi-final since 1984 successful precocious spirits aft astonishing everyone with their emphatic 5-0 Premier League victory implicit Sunderland past Friday, extending their unbeaten tally successful each competitions to 8 matches (W5 D3).

Vitor Pereira has restored positivity astatine the City Ground and the Tricky Trees person an vantage implicit their relegation-threatened rivals successful avoiding the drop, arsenic they sit 5 points wide of the bottommost three with 4 league games remaining, including a travel to an out-of-sorts Chelsea broadside adjacent Monday.

Forest volition present displacement their absorption to the archetypal all-Midlands necktie successful UEFA contention and the archetypal all-English semi-final since Man United bushed Arsenal successful the 2008-09 Champions League. The past all-English Europa League lucifer was, successful fact, past season’s last erstwhile Tottenham Hotspur won 1-0 against Man United.

After finishing 13th successful the League Phase, winning four, drafting 2 and losing 2 of their 8 matches, Forest person navigated their mode past Fenerbahce, Midtjylland and Porto to scope the Europa League semi-finals, beating the second 2-1 connected aggregate in the quarter-finals earlier this month.

The Tricky Trees - European Cup winners successful 1979 and 1980 nether Brian Clough - failed to bushed Aston Villa successful some Premier League meetings earlier this season, but they volition instrumentality comfortableness from a four-game unbeaten location tally versus the Lions (W2 D2), astir precocious drawing 1-1 at the City Ground connected April 12.

After reaching the Conference League semi-finals successful 2024 and the Champions League quarter-finals past season, Europa League favourites Aston Villa are hoping to advancement to their archetypal European last since beating Bayern Munich successful the 1982 European Cup showpiece nether Tony Barton.

The Lions present person an esteemed caput manager astatine the helm successful the signifier of Unai Emery, who precocious became the fastest brag successful the club’s past to scope 100 wins (after 181 games). The Spaniard is besides the lone manager successful Europa League past to triumph the contention 4 times (three with Sevilla, 1 with Villarreal).

Emery has insisted that Europa League glory this word is “very important” for his Aston Villa side, who are the competition’s highest scorers frankincense acold with 24 goals, conscionable 1 up of Nottingham Forest (23), portion they besides fertile joint-first for cleanable sheets (seven, on with Braga).

Villa finished 2nd successful the 36-team League Phase, level connected points with table-toppers Lyon connected 21 points (W7 L1), earlier they made airy enactment of Lille and Bologna successful the knockout rounds, easing to a 7-1 aggregate victory implicit the second successful the quarter-finals.

However, the Midlands outfit caput into Thursday’s archetypal limb looking to bounce backmost from a frustrating 1-0 nonaccomplishment at Fulham successful the Premier League past Saturday. While that decision saw them driblet to 5th successful the table, Champions League qualification could beryllium secured this play if they bushed Spurs and sixth-placed Brighton suffer their adjacent match.

Nottingham Forest Europa League form:

Nottingham Forest signifier (all competitions):

Aston Villa Europa League form:

Aston Villa signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Nottingham Forest volition beryllium without Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo (hamstring), John Victor, Nicolo Savona, Willy Boly (all knee) and Luca Netz (ineligible), portion Jair Cunha is doubtful with a enarthrosis wounded sustained successful the triumph astatine Sunderland past clip out.

Morato could beryllium recalled to commencement astatine centre-back alongside Nikola Milenkovic, portion Pereira volition see replacing goalkeeper Mats Sels with January signing Stefan Ortega, who has started Forest’s past 3 Europa League games.

In-form Morgan Gibbs-White has scored 5 goals successful his past 3 games crossed each competitions, and helium whitethorn proceed connected the near broadside of midfield if Pereira decides to instrumentality with Chris Wood and Igor Jesus arsenic a centre-forward pairing; Jesus is the Europa League’s joint-top scorer this word with 7 goals.

As for Aston Villa, Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Alysson (unspecified) stay sidelined, portion Amadou Onana volition beryllium assessed up of kickoff aft missing the decision astatine Fulham with a genu issue.

Lamare Bogarde is the astir apt campaigner to proceed successful centre-midfield alongside Youri Tielemans if Onana is not acceptable to start, though Ross Barkley and erstwhile Forest subordinate Douglas Luiz are 2 much options astatine Emery’s disposal.

Ollie Watkins has scored 3 goals successful his past 2 Europa League distant games and helium is expected to proceed up front, with Morgan Rogers, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia providing enactment successful attack. In defence, left-back Ian Maatsen and centre-back Tyrone Mings could some beryllium recalled to the archetypal XI.

Nottingham Forest imaginable starting lineup:

Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Hutchinson, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Wood, Jesus

Aston Villa imaginable starting lineup:

Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

We say: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa

Taking into relationship the cagey quality of first-leg affairs, the information that implicit 2.5 goals person been scored successful lone 2 of Forest’s past 9 location games, and that Aston Villa person failed to people 2 oregon much goals successful six of their past 7 distant matches, a low-scoring contention could beryllium connected the cards connected Thursday.

Both teams volition backmost themselves to assertion a affirmative effect and instrumentality a slender vantage into adjacent week’s instrumentality fixture astatine Villa Park, but we consciousness that the spoils could beryllium shared again for the 2nd clip this month.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.