Unai Emery’s Aston Villa look to overturn a goal deficit when they host Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park on Thursday.
Villa Park will play host to a high-voltage UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest on Thursday. Unai Emery’s team are considered the favourites to win the competition, but they could not get the desired result against Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest in the first leg.
While the Tricky Trees only have a one-goal lead, it will certainly give them a lot of confidence heading into this fixture. Vítor Pereira will be hoping his team can build on their recent form and secure a spot in the final.
The home team are fifth in the Premier League with 58 points. Despite losing their last two Premier League outings, the West Midlands outfit still have a six-point lead over sixth-placed Bournemouth. They should be able to secure Champions League football without only three games to go.
While Villa have been a dominant force in Europe since the start of the season, they could not get the job done against Nottingham in the first leg. Unai Emery’s men have lost each of their last three outings heading into the second leg which certainly does not help their cause. However, with the home crowd behind them, Emery’s team will certainly give it their all to turn things around.
Meanwhile, the visitors have underperformed for the majority of the ongoing campaign, and multiple managerial changes have not helped their cause either. However, Vitor Pereira has helped the Midlands outfit turn things around, and they seem to be peaking at the right time.
With four wins in their last five Premier League outings, Nottingham Forest are now six points clear of the drop zone. With three games to go, they will be confident of remaining in the top flight. Additionally, the commanding 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday will have bolstered the team’s confidence and momentum further.
For now, they will be focused on getting to the Europa League final, as it will get them a step closer to the title and a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Boubacar Kamara (knee) remains on the sidelines for Unai Emery’s team, and the Aston Villa manager could also be without the likes of Alysson Edward (muscle), John McGinn (hamstring), and Amadou Onana (calf) against Nottingham Forest, as all three are major doubts.
Emery’s team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Emiliano Martinez will be an automatic pick in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will be the full-backs, while Pau Torres will pair up with Ezri Konsa in the heart of the defence.
With Onana a doubt, Lamare Bogarde should line up alongside Youri Tielemans in the double pivot in the centre of the park. The duo will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game.
Meanwhile, with John McGinn a doubt, Jadon Sancho could come into the playing XI. The English international will take charge on the left, while Morgan Rogers could be asked to take up the right flank. Emiliano Buendia could feature in the number ten role in this fixture. Finally, Ollie Watkins should return to the starting eleven to lead the line for Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bogarde, Tielemans; Rogers, Buendia, Sancho; Watkins
Nottingham Forest
Vitor Pereira’s team suffered a massive blow in their win over Chelsea last time out, as Morgan Gibbs-White picked up a horrific head injury. While the Nottingham Forest head coach is hoping the skipper is back fit, the English international remains a major doubt for the game against Aston Villa.
Apart from Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare (physical discomfort), Ola Aina (knock), Dan Ndoye (physical discomfort), and Murillo (muscle) are all doubtful for this outing. John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly are all unavailable because of knee injuries. Callum Hudson-Odoi is unavailable due to a thigh injury.
Despite all the injury concerns, Pereira hopes his team can put up another inspired display at Villa Park and get the job done. They will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Stefan Ortega should take charge in goal.
Neco Williams and Ola Aina could be the full-backs if Aina overcomes the knock. Otherwise, Luca Netz will start on the left flank, with Williams being the right-back. Meanwhile, Morato could pair up with Nikola Milenkovic in the heart of the defence if the game comes too soon for Murillo.
If Gibbs-White does not get the green light to start, Dilane Bakwa could take his place in the starting eleven. He will feature on the right, while Omari Hutchinson will take charge on the left. Ibrahim Sangare and Elliot Anderson should be the two central midfielders. The duo will look to ensure Aston Villa midfielders do not run the show. Finally, Igor Jesus will line up alongside Chris Wood in the strike partnership.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Bakwa, Sangare, Anderson, Hutchinson; Wood, Jesus
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have won their last five games heading into this fixture.
- Aston Villa have never lost to Nottingham Forest at Villa Park (W5 D2).
- The Tricky Trees have been unbeaten in their last ten games across competitions.
- After winning the first leg in a knockout tie, Nottingham Forest have only failed to progress once in 13 attempts.
- Nottingham Forest are playing in a European semi-final for the first time since the 1983/84 UEFA Cup.
Player to Watch
Jadon Sancho
Sancho has not really lit up the world during his loan spell at Aston Villa. He has been involved in 36 matches but has contributed towards just four goals in close to 1,700 minutes. While the numbers suggest he has struggled to get going, Unai Emery has been pleased with his overall output and his attitude in general.
If the Englishman does get to start here, Sancho could end up causing serious problems for Nottingham Forest defenders. The English international played a key role in helping Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League final a couple of seasons back, and he will be hoping to replicate that by helping Villa overcome a goal deficit.
Prediction
Aston Villa 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa will head into this second leg knowing they have the quality and experience to overturn the deficit, especially at Villa Park. Despite their recent dip in form, Unai Emery’s men have been a dominant force in Europe this season, and with the backing of their home crowd, they are expected to take control of proceedings.
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, will take confidence from their first-leg advantage and recent winning run, but injuries and squad depth could come back to haunt them in a high-intensity away fixture. The Tricky Trees are likely to stay compact and look to hit on the counter, but sustaining that over 90 minutes against a side of Villa’s quality will be a tough ask.
Expect the hosts to rise to the occasion and do enough to secure a win and book their place in the final. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the home team.
