Nottingham Forest And Aston Villa Will Contest The Europa League Semi-Final First-Leg On April 30
City Ground | Europa League Semi-Final first-Leg | Thursday April 30 | 8pm
Ahead of Thursday’s eagerly anticipated all-English Europa League semi-final first-leg clash, BetVictor News delivers the Forest vs Aston Villa preview, prediction, H2H record, team news, betting tips, latest odds and more.
- Forest vs Aston Villa prediction: Villans to bag vital win
- Bet on the Europa League with BetVictor
Forest Vs Aston Villa Preview
After their fantastic 5-0 win at Sunderland on Friday night, Nottingham Forest will be brimming with confidence. Their Premier League status for next year looks a given and the head into their first European semi-final since 1984 on an eight-match unbeaten run.
Credit must be reserved for manager Vítor Pereira. The Portuguese boss was given the City Ground gig the day after Valentine’s Day and he has certainly captured the hearts of the Tricky Trees faithful. Not only that, he has got star man Morgan Gibbs-White firing on all cylinders; and theForest vs Aston Villa odds favour the England man to open the scoring at 9/2.
As for the Villans, a lethargic 1-0 loss at Fulham on Saturday wasn’t the ideal preparation for such a vital game. But with Unai Emery at the helm, supporters can remain quietly confident owing to his Europa League pedigree. The Spaniard completed a three-peat with Sevilla and also won Europe’s secondary club competition with Villarreal.
Neutrals will be gearing up for what should be an exciting an enticing showdown in NG2. This is the first all-English semi-final since Man United and Arsenal met in the 2008-09 Champions League and the first all-English Europa League clash since the final last year between Tottenham and the Red Devils.
Forest Vs Aston Villa H2H Record
The overall Forest vs Aston Villa H2H record sees Villa come out on top. The Lions have won 64 fixtures compared to the Tricky Trees’ 40. The last meeting occurred just earlier this month as the two sides shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at the City Ground.
Murillo scored an own goal to give Unai Emery’s side the lead before Neco Williams levelled proceedings. In the reverse fixture at Villa Park, John McGinn scored twice to help Emery’s side to a 3-1 win. Since the year 2000, Forest and Villa have shared the pitch 14 times with the Villans winning 50% of those H2H clashes.
Forest vs Aston Villa H2H record since 2000 in all competitions:
Forest wins – 3
Draws – 4
Aston Villa wins – 7
Forest Vs Aston Villa Team News
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo, John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly are all ruled out for Nottingham Forest. A late call is expected to be made on Jair Cunha whereas Luca Netz is ineligible. In goal, Stefan Ortega may get the nod over Mats Sels.
As for Aston Villa – who are the 4/5 Europa League favourites – they will once again be without Boubacar Kamara and January addition Alysson. Amadou Onana will be assessed having missed the 1-0 defeat to Fulham. Ian Maatsen and Tyrone Mings are in line to start in defence.
Forest’s last six in all comps:
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Aston Villa’s last six in all comps:
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Forest Vs Aston Villa Predicted Lineups
Forest predicted lineup:
Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Hutchinson, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Wood, Jesus
Aston Villa predicted lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins
Forest Vs Aston Villa TV Channel, Live Streaming And Radio
Forest vs Villa is available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate. Live streaming is available via the HBO Max app or a HBO Max sports pass (no contract sign-up required) Furthermore, viewers can also tune in via Sky Go and Virgin TV Go with a TNT Sports add-on. Coverage will begin at 7pm ahead of a 8pm kick-off. For those looking to tune in via radio, BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT will have you covered.
*A valid TV license and TNT Sports subscription is required to watch live in the UK
Forest Vs Aston Villa Betting Angles
Key Match Stats
- Forest are unbeaten in their last eight games across all competitions
- Aston Villa have won 11 of their 12 Europa League matches this term (L1)
- Forest will play their first European semi-final since 1984, Villa were most recently in a European semi-final in 2024.
Top Betting Angles for Forest Vs Aston Villa
Over 2.5 goals: Four of the last five H2H meetings has produced over 2.5 goals. Offers value at EVS
BTTS: The last five Premier League clashes has seen BTTS in this fixture – including the 1-1 draw earlier this month
Anytime goalscorer: Morgan Gibbs-White (13/8), Igor Jesus (9/4), Ollie Watkins (21/10) and Morgan Rogers (27/10) all carry weight
Forest Vs Aston Villa Prediction
Although the Europa League odds favour Nottingham Forest to beat Aston Villa, we feel that the visitors will secure a vital first-leg advantage at the City Ground. The Tricky Trees have defied Europa League betting for most of the season but could meet their maker in the form of Unai Emery.
His experience and unrivalled history in this competition should give the Lions the edge.
Prediction: Forest 1-2 Aston Villa (17/2)
If you intend to bet on Forest vs Aston Villa then please take the time to read through BetVictor’s safe and responsible gambling page which will provide good advice on how to stay in control when betting on football.
Any betting decisions should be made responsibly and there are no guarantees when it comes to match outcomes. All odds correct as of 11:45am April 29, 2026.
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