Nottingham Forest host Aston Villa at the City Ground on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, marking the first all-English major European semi-final since 2009.
Vitor Pereira’s side enter their first major European semi-final since 1984 riding an eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions. Forest seek to return to a European final for the first time since their back-to-back European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980 under Brian Clough.
Villa arrive as competition favourites under Unai Emery, who recently became the fastest manager in the club’s history to reach 100 wins (after 181 games). The Spaniard is the only boss in Europa League history to lift the trophy four times and is set to manage in his seventh semi-final – no other manager has appeared in more than three.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa – Match preview and team news
This represents the first major European semi-final between two English teams since Manchester United beat Arsenal 4-1 on aggregate in the 2008-09 Champions League. The last all-English Europa League match was last season’s final, when Tottenham defeated United 1-0.
Forest are into their fourth major European semi-final, having won the European Cup in both 1978-79 and 1979-80, plus reaching the 1983-84 UEFA Cup semi-final where they lost to Anderlecht. Villa are competing in a major European semi-final for the second time in three seasons, having lost to Olympiakos in the 2023-24 Conference League. Their only other last-four appearance came in the 1981-82 European Cup when they defeated Bayern Munich in the final.
The Tricky Trees have been one of Europe’s most potent attacking forces with 232 shots, 88 shots on target and 414 touches in the opposition box – all second-most behind Bologna. However, they have accumulated the most expected goals (27.8). Morgan Gibbs-White has scored five goals in his last three games, while Igor Jesus leads the Europa League scoring charts with seven goals.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has created 23 chances this season – only three players have managed more. Only three Englishmen have created more in a Europa League season since 2009-10: James Milner (31) and Adam Lallana (24) in 2015-16 for Liverpool, plus James Ward-Prowse (25) in 2023-24 for West Ham.
Defensively, Forest shipped five goals in their first two games but have conceded just seven in 12 since. Only Freiburg (0.5) have conceded fewer per game from matchday three onwards than Forest (0.6), while Forest have faced the fewest shots on target per game (2.6).
Villa have won 11 Europa League matches this season – only Porto in 2010-11 (12), Atletico Madrid in 2011-12 (13), and Chelsea in 2018-19 (12) have won more in a single campaign. Villa have won their last nine in a row and could become only the second English team to win 10 consecutive major European matches, after Manchester City between May 2023 and March 2024.
The Lions finished second in the 36-team league phase on 21 points (W7 L1), level with Lyon, before easing past Lille and Bologna. They dismantled Bologna 7-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Villa are the competition’s highest scorers with 24 goals, just one ahead of Forest (23), and rank joint-first for clean sheets (seven, with Braga). Ollie Watkins has been involved in a goal in each of his last four Europa League matches (four goals, one assist). Only Wayne Rooney among Englishmen has scored or assisted in more consecutive appearances.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham ended their six-match unbeaten run and saw them drop to fifth in the Premier League. Champions League qualification could still be secured this weekend if they beat Spurs and Brighton lose.
Forest are unbeaten in their last four home games against Villa (W2 D2), drawing 1-1 at the City Ground earlier this month. Villa last won there in March 2019 in the Championship under Dean Smith.
Team News
Nottingham Forest
Murillo will miss out with a hamstring injury. “He will not be ready for tomorrow,” Pereira confirmed. “I don’t think it will be long; maybe in a few days, he will be back.” Callum Hudson-Odoi, John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly (all knee) are also unavailable, while Luca Netz is ineligible.
Jair Cunha is doubtful with a shoulder injury sustained at Sunderland, but was pictured training. Morato could partner Nikola Milenkovic at centre-back, while Pereira will consider replacing Mats Sels with January signing Stefan Ortega, who has started Forest’s last three Europa League games.
Gibbs-White may continue on the left side of midfield if Pereira sticks with Chris Wood and Igor Jesus as the centre-forward pairing.
Aston Villa
Amadou Onana faces a late fitness test after missing Saturday’s defeat with a knee issue. “We train this afternoon, and we will see how he is responding,” Emery said. “He was testing yesterday, and today we must test again to see how he is feeling.”
Boubacar Kamara (knee) and Alysson remain sidelined, while Ross Barkley is ineligible, having not been named in Emery’s Europa League squad. Lamare Bogarde is likely to partner Youri Tielemans in central midfield if Onana fails to recover, though Douglas Luiz – a former Forest player – is another option.
Watkins has scored three goals in his last two Europa League away games and is expected to lead the attack, with Morgan Rogers, John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia providing support. Ian Maatsen and Tyrone Mings could both be recalled to the starting XI.
Head-to-Head
Forest drew 1-1 with Villa at the City Ground on April 12 in the Premier League, extending their unbeaten home run against the Lions to four matches (W2 D2).
Form Guide
Nottingham Forest
The hosts enter Thursday’s first leg in excellent form, unbeaten in eight matches across all competitions (W5 D3). Last Friday’s emphatic 5-0 victory at Sunderland showcased their attacking prowess and extended their impressive momentum. Pereira has restored positivity at the City Ground, with Forest sitting five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with four games remaining.
In Europe, they finished 13th in the league phase before navigating past Fenerbahce, Midtjylland and Porto to reach the semi-finals. Their defensive improvement has been remarkable – after conceding five goals in their opening two Europa League games, they have shipped just seven in 12 matches since.
Aston Villa
The visitors arrive having won nine consecutive Europa League matches, putting them on the brink of becoming only the second English team to win 10 straight major European fixtures. Emery’s men finished second in the 36-team league phase on 21 points before dismantling Lille and Bologna, the latter 7-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
However, Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Fulham ended a six-match unbeaten run across all competitions and saw them drop to fifth in the Premier League. Villa remain the competition’s highest scorers with 24 goals and have kept seven clean sheets. Watkins has been in superb form with four goals and one assist in his last four Europa League appearances, while the Lions are just one win away from securing Champions League qualification for next season.
Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest: Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Hutchinson, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Wood, Jesus
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Prediction
Forest’s home advantage and unbeaten run against Villa provides confidence, but the visitors’ European pedigree under Emery cannot be ignored. Villa’s nine-game Europa League winning streak contrasts with their recent Premier League setback. Expect a tight, tactical first leg with both sides cautious about the return.
We say: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
- Kick-off: Thursday, 8:00 PM BST
- Venue: The City Ground, Nottingham
- Referee: João Pinheiro (Portugal)
- VAR: Tiago Martins (Portugal)
- Last Meeting: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa, April 12, 2026, Premier League
- How to watch: TNT Sports 1, HBO Max (UK)
Read more – The St. Bernard and the Pub Owner: Manchester United Through Ages
Also see – A look back at Sunderland’s six top-flight titles | Part II
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