An all-English tie in European competition, there are few things better in football!
Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will battle for a spot in this season’s Europa League final, a fixture which also contains the prize of Champions League qualification.
Up first is a clash at the City Ground, with Vitor Pereira and his Tricky Trees in red-hot form ahead of kick-off.
But Villa boss Unai Emery is the unrivalled master of this competition, with four previous wins at Sevilla (x3) and Villarreal (x1).
What a tie we have in store here, and we have previewed Thursday’s first leg in full below, picking out some online betting tips from the latest Europa League odds on NetBet.
And if you are looking to include this match in a combo bet, remember that our Acca Boost feature can increase your potential winnings by up to 50%.
Where can I watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa in the UK?
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm UK time.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Preview
Recent results
After the 1-1 draw between these sides at the City Ground on April 12, Forest have been on an incredible run. Pereira’s men beat Porto 1-0 in their quarter-final second leg, before recording huge Premier League victories over Burnley (4-1) and – most recently – Sunderland (0-5).
Villa followed up the aforementioned draw with a 4-0 home success over Bologna, securing a huge 7-1 aggregate win in the quarter-finals. Emery’s side then collected a dramatic 4-3 victory over Sunderland, but lost 1-0 at Fulham on the weekend.
Head-to-head record
The 1-1 draw earlier in the month means Forest are unbeaten in four Premier League matches vs Villa at the City Ground, winning two of them.
However, Villa claimed the win in the last four top-flight meetings on home soil, including a 3-1 victory back in January.
Team news
Murillo, Callum Hudson Odoi, John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly are all ruled out for Forest.
Villa’s squad is in slightly better shape, with Boubacar Kamara and Alysson Santos the only guaranteed absentees. Amadou Onana is a doubt, though.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Odds
*All odds are subject to change
Nottingham Forest are the favourites to claim what could be a vital first-leg win at a price of 2.40. A victory for Aston Villa is at odds of 2.82, while the draw is 3.14.
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa Betting Tips
Anytime goalscorer double chance – Morgan Gibbs-White OR Igor Jesus @ 1.96
We are surprised the odds here are close to evens. Gibbs-White has seven goals in his last seven Premier League appearances, and scored the only goal vs Porto last time out in this competition. And Jesus is the joint-top scorer in the Europa League with seven goals, the striker also netting three times in his last four Premier League outings. So backing one or the other to score just feels like a no-brainer.
Anytime goalscorer double chance – Ollie Watkins OR Morgan Rogers @ 1.89
Another option in this double chance market focuses on Villa’s two main attacking threats. Watkins has four goals in his last four Europa League matches, while Rogers was also on target in the 4-0 thrashing of Bologna. Worth a punt? We reckon so.
Total goals – Over 2.5 @ 1.99
The pressure of an all-Premier League tie can sometimes reduce the number of chances and goals, but the form book suggests this clash being something of an outlier. Over 2.5 goals were scored in three of Forest’s last six matches, as well as in three of Villa’s previous five.
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