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

Reconvening at Villa Park for the second leg of their all-English Europa League semi-final, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will clash again on Thursday evening.

Forest hold a slim lead after last week's opener, but Villa boast a superb home record in Europe; whoever prevails, the aggregate winner will proceed to the final, facing either Braga or Freiburg in Istanbul later this month.

Match preview

After reaching the Conference League semis in 2024 and the Champions League quarter-finals last season, Aston Villa are aiming to take the next step and make their first continental final in a generation.

Several decades have passed since Villa beat Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup decider, and that wait will go on should they fail to overturn a 1-0 deficit on Thursday.

Last week, Nottingham Forest established a slender lead in their all-Midlands tie, as Chris Wood emphatically dispatched a second-half penalty after Lucas Digne had clearly handled the ball.

Then, seeking to rest key men and rotate between two huge European fixtures, Unai Emery saw his second string beaten at home by relegation-haunted Tottenham Hotspur.

His listless side managed just one touch in the Spurs box before half time and barely improved after the break, going down to a tame 2-1 defeat - their fifth loss in eight Premier League matches.

Though the Villans have suffered three straight defeats for the first time since 2024, they are grimly clinging on to fifth place and still have Champions League qualification within their grasp.

Now, they must switch focus to producing a second-leg fightback, having fared so well en route to the Europa League semis; Emery's men finished second in the league phase, before easing past Lille and Bologna.

The omens are good: the Birmingham club have won their last nine European fixtures at Villa Park - also scoring in 31 of the last 32 - and their Basque boss is a proven expert at this level.

A four-time Europa League winner, Emery last lost a two-legged tie in UEFA's second-tier tournament some 14 years ago, subsequently progressing from 22 in a row.

Also unbeaten in 10 home games against Forest since 1994 - including January's Premier League fixture - at least precedent suggests Villa can recover.

However, much has changed since that 3-1 league loss for the Tricky Trees, with Vitor Pereira's arrival in February sparking an unexpected revival.

The Portuguese coach took some time to win over sceptical supporters, but his methods eventually took hold and Forest are on fire.

A stunning 10-game unbeaten run has not only eased relegation fears but also taken them to the very brink of a European final.

Their best undefeated streak for a decade has featured seven wins and plenty of goals, and Forest moved six points clear of the Premier League drop zone by putting three past Chelsea on Monday.

Despite Pereira also resting star players, Taiwo Awoniyi struck either side of an Igor Jesus spot kick, significantly boosting their fight for top-flight survival.

Now, the East Midlands side will aim to finish the job they started last Thursday and progress from their first continental semi-final for 42 years.

Pereira has already steered them past his former club Fenerbahce, plus Midtjylland and Porto to reach the last four, reigniting a dormant European tradition.

The Tricky Trees can boast two European Cup wins to Villa's one, while they have lost just one of their last 13 knockout ties after winning the first leg - and that was the infamous 1984 UEFA Cup semi against Anderlecht.

Aston Villa Europa League form:

W W W W W L

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

D W W L L L

Nottingham Forest Europa League form:

L L W D W W

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

D W W W W W

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.

It remains to be seen whether Amadou Onana can recover from a calf strain, but Ross Barkley is ineligible and Boubacar Kamara is still injured.

While Watkins is Villa's top scorer with four Europa League goals this season, Morgan Rogers has been directly involved in five goals from six home appearances so far.

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.

The Brazilian striker partnered Awoniyi at Chelsea, but the latter is not on Forest's UEFA squad list, so Wood will lead their front line in Birmingham.

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.

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

We say: Aston Villa 1-1 Nottingham Forest (after extra time; Nottingham Forest win 2-1 on aggregate)

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.

While Villa started as competition favourites, recent displays suggest they may be running out of gas; meanwhile, Forest have found peak form at just the right time, so East can beat West in this big Midlands showdown.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.