Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news and prediction

Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news and prediction Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest in the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park on Thursday evening. The Villans lost 1-0 at the City Ground , giving Forest a slight advantage ahead of this clash. Match preview Villa suffered a 2-1 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday, extending their losing streak to three games across all competitions.

However, they have won all six of their home games in the Europa League, giving them some encouragement ahead of this clash. Manager Unai Emery is also the most successful manager in the competition’s history, having won it four times. Villa struggled at Forest and need a significantly improved performance to reach the final.

They will need to start strongly and use the support of their home fans to pile pressure on the visitors. Winning the midfield battle could be crucial. Villa are likely to dominate possession, and need to be careful of turnovers, given Forest’s pace on the counter.

The visitors head into this clash with better momentum and form. Monday’s victory at Chelsea extended their unbeaten streak to 10 matches across all competitions. Forest have improved since manager Vitor Pereira’s appointment in February.