Nottingham Forest

With Premier League survival all but secured and riding a wave of momentum, Forest heads into the English Europa League semifinal with high hopes. Despite injuries, the team has steadily improved its performance since Vitor Pereira’s arrival, reaching its current level. In the quarterfinals, they eliminated Porto, one of the tournament favorites.

For this match, the Portuguese coach is expected to hold nothing back and field his strongest lineup. A memorable night is anticipated at the City Ground, where decades ago Nottingham Forest achieved the feat of reaching two European Cup finals, ultimately winning one. Forest knows that their chances of reaching the Europa League final depend on putting in a strong performance in the first leg.

Nottingham Forest Injured Players for the Europa League Semifinals

Awoniyi, Eric Da Silva Moreira, Boy, Hudson-Odoi, Jhon Victor, Murillo, Savona, and Netz

Nottingham Forest Suspended Players for the Europa League Semifinals

Nottingham Forest has no suspended players for this match.

Nottingham Forest’s latest results

• Porto 1-1
• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
• Nottingham Forest 1-0 Porto
• Nottingham Forest 4-1 Burnley
• Sunderland 0-5 Nottingham Forest

Aston Villa

The Birmingham side, for its part, heads into the match with confidence despite its recent loss to Fulham in the Premier League. Unai Emery’s team has virtually secured a spot in next season’s competition, and its main goal in this final stretch of the season is to win the Europa League. It would be the fifth title for Aston Villa’s Basque manager.

Unai Emery will also prioritize the Europa League semifinals and go all out. He knows his team is the favorite to reach the final, but to do so, they must secure a positive result at the City Ground. If they succeed, they know they are much stronger at Villa Park and that a spot in the final will be much closer.

Aston Villa Injured Players for the Europa League Semifinals

Onana, Madjo, Alysson, Kamara, and Barkley

Aston Villa Suspended Players for the Europa League Semifinals

Aston Villa has no suspended players for this match.

Aston Villa's Latest Results

• Bologna 1-3 Aston Villa
• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
• Aston Villa 4-0 Bologna
• Aston Villa 4-3 Sunderland
• Fulham 1-0 Aston Villa

Nottingham Forest - Aston Villa: statistics

Nottingham Forest has gone eight matches without a loss, with three draws and five wins. Furthermore, in those eight matches, they have conceded only four goals, keeping a clean sheet on four occasions.

Aston Villa, for their part, saw their run of five wins and one draw come to an end in London against Fulham. In the Europa League, they have been solid on the road, having won both away matches in their two previous rounds. Three weeks ago, the two teams faced off at the same venue, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw.

Nottingham Forest - Aston Villa: Predictions

Aston Villa is the favorite to advance to the final. Nottingham Forest knows this and wants to capitalize on home-field advantage in this first leg to win and head to Birmingham with a lead. However, Unai Emery is a master at strategizing for these types of matches, so he may focus on neutralizing his opponent to seal the tie at Villa Park. For that reason, a draw is a result worth considering.