Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Prediction & Picks - Europa League
Europe - Europa League
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by Carlos Zabala | in Europa League Picks
Nottingham Forest will be looking to reach their first European final since 1984; to do so, they will have to overcome their Premier League rivals Aston Villa in the Europa League semi-finals. The Lions were Conference League semi-finalists in 2024 and reached the Champions League quarter-finals last season. Vitor Pereira has the Tricky Trees unbeaten in their last eight matches, but it's important to remember that Unai Emery, the current Lions manager, won four Europa League titles in the past.
At this stage of the season, it's clear that the Europa League is the top priority for both teams. From the start of this competition, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have been and remain the favorites to win the final in Turkey.
Both have justified their status throughout the competition. Aston Villa finished second in the group stage, behind only Lyon; No team has scored more than the Villans' 24 goals, which they racked up in a crushing 7-1 aggregate victory over Bologna of Italy in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have scored just one goal fewer than their Premier League counterparts, but in the Europa League, they have recorded a respectable seven clean sheets.
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Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Form
Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa Latest Matches
4/6 (67%)
2/6 (33%)
0/6 (0%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Apr 24, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 19, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 16, 2026 - Europa League
Apr 12, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 9, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 22, 2026 - Premier League
2/6 (33%)
2/6 (33%)
2/6 (33%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Apr 19, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 16, 2026 - Europa League
Apr 12, 2026 - Premier League
Mar 15, 2026 - Premier League
Mar 12, 2026 - Europa League
Feb 26, 2026 - Europa League
3/6 (50%)
2/6 (33%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Apr 24, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 9, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 22, 2026 - Premier League
Mar 19, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 4, 2026 - Premier League
Mar 1, 2026 - Premier League
3/6 (50%)
1/6 (17%)
2/6 (33%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Apr 25, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 19, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 16, 2026 - Europa League
Apr 12, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 9, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 27, 2026 - Clubs Friendlies
4/6 (67%)
1/6 (17%)
1/6 (17%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Apr 19, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 16, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 22, 2026 - Premier League
Mar 19, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 4, 2026 - Premier League
Feb 21, 2026 - Premier League
2/6 (33%)
1/6 (17%)
3/6 (50%)
Average stats (Last 6 matchs)
Apr 25, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 12, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 9, 2026 - Europa League
Mar 27, 2026 - Clubs Friendlies
Mar 15, 2026 - Premier League
Mar 12, 2026 - Europa League
Nottingham Forest against Aston Villa : Head to Head (H2H)
33 %
17 %
50 %
Average stats (last H2H results)
Apr 12, 2026 - Premier League
Jan 3, 2026 - Premier League
Apr 5, 2025 - Premier League
Dec 14, 2024 - Premier League
Feb 24, 2024 - Premier League
Nov 5, 2023 - Premier League
Nottingham Forest - Aston Villa: Form Analysis
Nottingham Forest, with a goal from Gibbs-White and by capitalizing on a red card shown to Porto's Bednarek, were able to secure their place in the previous quarterfinals. But they have worked wonders building on that momentum, as three days later they thrashed Burnley 4-1 in the Premier League, and finally thrashed Sunderland 5-0 at the Stadium of Light to give themselves some breathing room and ease the pressure of the relegation battle.
Aston Villa achieves its objectives
The Villans don't need to win the Europa League to qualify for next season's Champions League. On the contrary, a Premier League victory against Spurs could secure a top-five finish, helping them achieve that goal. Even so, Emery himself has stated that winning the Europa League is "very important" to avoid a trophyless season.
In London, on matchday 34 of the Premier League, Aston Villa couldn't pull it off and lost 1-0 to Fulham. Even though Nottingham Forest are currently in excellent form, the Lions are confident, having won two and drawn one of their last three matches against the Tricky Trees.
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Nottingham Forest against Aston Villa Lineups: Starting 11
Formation : 4 - 4 - 1 - 1
Formation : 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Substitutes
M. Sels
K. Willows
DefenderZ. Abbott
J. Hanks
MidfielderJ. McAtee
R. Yates
J. Sinclair
A. Whitehall
ForwardD. Bakwa
Z. Julius Blake
L. Lucca
M. Bizot
J. Wright
DefenderV. Lindelof
I. Maatsen
T. Mings
MidfielderL. Bogarde
H. Elliott
Douglas Luiz
A. Garcia
ForwardL. Bailey
J. Sancho
T. Abraham
Missing players
J. Victor
DefenderW. Boly
N. Savona
MidfielderI. Sangare
Murillo
ForwardC. Hudson-Odoi
D. Ndoye
B. Kamara
ForwardAlysson
Nottingham Forest & Aston Villa Squad Analysis
Even amidst injuries, Nottingham Forest have managed to go on a scoring streak; they owe much of their success to Morgan Gibbs-White, who has scored five goals in his last three matches across all competitions.
However, a quick glance reveals that some of the Reds' key players will be unavailable on Thursday: Hudson-Odoi remains injured, as do Murillo and Brazilian John Victor, and Italian Nicolo Savona are also sidelined.
Thursday's match will be at the City Ground, and while Nottingham will be looking for their first three consecutive wins there this season, the fact remains that one Aston Villa player thrives on the road: Ollie Watkins, who has scored three goals in his last two European matches away from Villa Park. Of course, Aston Villa could certainly benefit from a goal from Morgan Rogers, as the team has yet to lose this season in the nine matches he has scored. Amadou Onana will miss the first leg of the semi-final due to a knee injury.
Most goals and assists
Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa
Igor Jesus
(7 Goals)
J. McGinn
(5 Goals)
, 
O. Watkins
(5 Goals)
M. Gibbs-White
(3 Assists)
M. Rogers
(5 Assists)
, 
E. Buendia
(5 Assists)
Nottingham Forest - Aston Villa Key Points
- In April, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 in the Premier League
- Aston Villa only managed one shot on target in their last defeat against Fulham
- Nottingham defender Milenkovic cleared 15 balls in his last match
- Nottingham Forest have drawn 7 times since the start of 2026
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Our Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Prediction
An interesting clash, then, between two Premier League teams that in the last millennium were even capable of winning continental trophies. Both Nottingham and Aston Villa have regained prominence beyond the domestic scene in recent years.
Since 2019, Aston Villa has not been able to beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. On Thursday, the Lions will face the best defense in the Europa League, having scored more than two goals in only one of their last 7 away matches.
Our prediction for Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa is: Under 2.5 goals.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa - Other Interesting Picks
Nottingham Forest win the match
Nottingham Forest to win: 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
