Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest prediction: teams form analysis, possible lineups on May 7, 2026
English Premier League
In the Europa League semi-final on May 7, 2026, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will play the second leg. The visitors will try to succeed here as well—a draw will be enough for them.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Team News and Expert Analysis
The Birmingham club spent too much energy last season fighting in the Champions League, where they reached the playoffs. However, they lost to Newcastle in the Premier League and finished sixth. This season, they are contending with Manchester United for third place. Nottingham's team also failed to stay in the top four last spring, and although the final seventh place was an unexpected breakthrough, the frustrated management dismissed Nuno Espírito Santo by autumn. They changed managers twice more, and only under the current coach, Vítor Pereira, have they managed to pull away from the relegation zone to some extent.
Unai Emery's side is now competing in the Spaniard's "signature" tournament. They have been excellent here, though with one exception: they managed to lose to modest Go Ahead Eagles. But they won all other matches—both in the group stage and the playoffs, against Lille and Bologna.
The current visitors have performed well, making their debut in the competition: four wins and fourteen points in the group stage and confident progress through the playoffs against Fenerbahce, Midtjylland, and Porto. Against their countrymen last Thursday, they managed to score the only goal—Wood converted a penalty in the middle of the second half.
Previous Meetings: Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
Rogers and company had won three out of five previous matches before meeting in European competition, with one defeat.
It is hard to believe Emery won't learn his lesson. In the return leg, his team should win (odds – 1.80).
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Key Statistics and Trends
- Aston Villa have won eleven out of thirteen matches in the tournament
- The club scores an average of 1.85 goals and concedes 0.62
- Nottingham Forest have won five of their last eight league matches
- The team scores an average of 1.6 goals and concedes exactly half as much—0.8
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Probable Starting Lineups
Aston Villa play with a 1-4-2-3-1 formation (probable lineup): Martinez – Digne, Torres, Konsa, Cash – Tielemans, Onana – Buendia, Rogers, McGinn – Watkins. Kamara and Alisson are still unavailable
Nottingham Forest play with a 1-4-4-2 formation (probable lineup): Ortega – Williams, Morato, Milenkovic, Aina – Gibbs-White, Anderson, Dominguez, Hutchinson – Wood, Igor Jesus. John, Boly, Savona, and Hudson-Odoi are out of the squad
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