Nottingham Forest FC vs Aston Villa FC, Europe 2025-26 SEMI FINALS
Overview
Match Preview
Nottingham Forest FC vs Aston Villa FC — Europe at City Ground, Nottingham.
- Nottingham Forest FC 8 games · 14 pts (2026/27)
- Aston Villa FC 8 games · 21 pts (2026/27)
Match Details
- Referee Joao Pedro Pinheiro
- Assistant 1 Bruno Jesus (Portugal)
- Assistant 2 Luciano Maia
10 games this season
🟨 2.6/game
⚽ 10.2 goals/game
🟥 3 total
Standings
| # | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympique Lyonnais | 8 | 21 |
| 2 | Aston Villa FC | 8 | 21 |
| 3 | FC Midtjylland | 8 | 19 |
| 4 | Real Betis Balompié | 8 | 17 |
| 5 | FC Porto | 8 | 17 |
| 6 | Sporting Clube de Braga | 8 | 17 |
| 7 | SC Freiburg | 8 | 17 |
| 8 | AS Roma | 8 | 16 |
| 9 | KRC Genk | 8 | 16 |
| 10 | Bologna FC 1909 | 8 | 15 |
| 11 | VfB Stuttgart | 8 | 15 |
| 12 | Ferencvárosi TC | 8 | 15 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest FC | 8 | 14 |
| 14 | FC Viktoria Plzeň | 8 | 14 |
| 15 | FK Crvena Zvezda | 8 | 14 |
| 16 | RC Celta de Vigo | 8 | 13 |
| 17 | PAOK Thessaloniki FC | 8 | 12 |
| 18 | Lille OSC | 8 | 12 |
| 19 | Fenerbahçe SK | 8 | 12 |
| 20 | Panathinaikos AO | 8 | 12 |
| 21 | Celtic FC | 8 | 11 |
| 22 | PFK Ludogorets 1945 Razgrad | 8 | 10 |
| 23 | GNK Dinamo Zagreb | 8 | 10 |
| 24 | SK Brann | 8 | 9 |
| 25 | BSC Young Boys | 8 | 9 |
| 26 | SK Sturm Graz | 8 | 7 |
| 27 | FCSB Bukarest | 8 | 7 |
| 28 | Go Ahead Eagles | 8 | 7 |
| 29 | Feyenoord Rotterdam | 8 | 6 |
| 30 | FC Basel 1893 | 8 | 6 |
| 31 | FC Red Bull Salzburg | 8 | 6 |
| 32 | Rangers FC | 8 | 4 |
| 33 | OGC Nice | 8 | 3 |
| 34 | FC Utrecht | 8 | 1 |
| 35 | Malmo FF | 8 | 1 |
| 36 | Maccabi Tel Aviv FC | 8 | 1 |
Head-to-Head
Recent Form
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr | Aston Villa FC | H | 1–0 | W |
| 24 Apr | Sunderland AFC | A | 5–0 | W |
| 19 Apr | Burnley FC | H | 4–1 | W |
| 16 Apr | FC Porto | H | 1–0 | W |
| 12 Apr | Aston Villa FC | H | 1–1 | D |
| 09 Apr | FC Porto | A | 1–1 | D |
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr | Nottingham Forest FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 25 Apr | Fulham FC | A | 0–1 | L |
| 19 Apr | Sunderland AFC | H | 4–3 | W |
| 16 Apr | Bologna FC 1909 | H | 4–0 | W |
| 12 Apr | Nottingham Forest FC | A | 1–1 | D |
| 09 Apr | Bologna FC 1909 | A | 3–1 | W |
Season Stats
| Nottingham Forest FC | Aston Villa FC | |
|---|---|---|
| #13 | Position | #2 |
| 14 | Points | 21 |
| 8 | Played | 8 |
| 4 / 2 / 2 | W / D / L | 7 / 0 / 1 |
| 15 | Scored | 14 |
| 7 | Conceded | 6 |
| +8 | GD | +8 |
| 1.75 | PPG | 2.63 |
| 50% | Win % | 88% |
Key Stats
69%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (13 games)
H2H (13 games)
62%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
Nottingham Forest FC are 13th (14 pts). Aston Villa FC are 2nd (21 pts).
Events
Match Events
- 0' The referee blows the starting whistle. The fans are roaring. The teams are ready for the match. Nottingham Forest FC is hosting Aston Villa FC for another epic battle.
- 5' will be watching from the dugout nervously. His Nottingham Forest FC side need to improve if they are to claim all three points.
- 10' Both keepers have barely been tested. Nottingham Forest FC and Aston Villa FC are cancelling each other out in the centre of the park.
- 15' Ola Aina has been one of the livelier players on the pitch with 0 goals to his name this season.
- 20' A quiet spell here at City Ground, Nottingham. Nottingham Forest FC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 25' Nottingham Forest FC are deployed in a 4-4-2 today, looking to exploit space against Aston Villa FC's 4-2-3-1 shape.
- 30' Supporters expect more eagerness from Emiliano Martinez, as he is very good at scoring at City Ground, Nottingham with 0 goals in the last 0 games.
- 35' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 40' Aston Villa FC started playing very sharply right from the kick off. However, it slowed down the tempo rapidly by 40.
- 45' Ollie Watkins has been disciplined this evening — perhaps mindful of those 0 cards already picked up this season.
- 50' The 29-year-old Matty Cash has been sensational this season — 0 goals and 0 assists is a remarkable return.
- 55' Lamare Bogarde has so much to prove this time. He replaces Amadou Onana on 55 minute.
- 60' Nottingham Forest FC looks like a favorite considering 1 games won in last 1 matches with its main striker Liam Delap scoring 1 goals.
- 65' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 70' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Morgan Gibbs-White made 354 appearances and scored 44 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 71' GOAL! Chris Wood scores on 71.
- 75' The whistle greets Ola Aina as he departs to be replaced by Zach Abbott.
- 78' The referee calls foul for Youri Tielemans. He receives a card.
- 78' Douglas Luiz is ready to make an impact after coming on for Lucas Digne at the 78 minute mark.
- 79' Jadon Sancho is ready to make an impact after coming on for John McGinn at the 79 minute mark.
- 84' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 89' Spectators do not have much to choose from both teams. The sides had several scoring chances but they still need a bit more than just a sight of a goal.
- 90' Fresh legs for Nottingham Forest FC! Ryan Yates comes on to replace Igor Jesus.
- Aston Villa FC will have plenty to reflect on. Nottingham Forest FC were simply the better side today.
Lineups
Nottingham Forest FC Lineups
4-4-2Starting XI
- 11
- 10
- 27
-
34
Ola Aina ↓ Zach Abbott 75'
- 31
- 16
- 4
- 3
- 8
- 21
-
19
Igor Jesus ↓ Ryan Yates 90'
Bench
- 20
-
22
Ryan Yates ↑ 90'
- 26
- 29
- 24
-
44
Zach Abbott ↑ 75'
- 67
- 65
- 61
- 51
- 77
Coach
Vítor Pereira
Aston Villa FC Lineups
4-2-3-1Starting XI
- 23
- 27
-
12
Lucas Digne ↓ Douglas Luiz 78'
- 2
-
10
Emiliano Buendia ↓ Ian Maatsen 79'
- 11
- 4
-
7
John McGinn ↓ Jadon Sancho 79'
- 8
- 14
-
24
Amadou Onana ↓ Lamare Bogarde 55'
Bench
- 40
- 5
- 18
- 3
- 31
-
19
Jadon Sancho ↑ 79'
-
21
Douglas Luiz ↑ 78'
- 9
-
22
Ian Maatsen ↑ 79'
-
26
Lamare Bogarde ↑ 55'
- 64
- 16
Coach
Unai Emery
H2H
H2H Top Scorers
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| John McGinn | 4 |
| Tammy Abraham | 4 |
| Ollie Watkins | 3 |
| Lewis Grabban | 2 |
| Douglas Luiz | 2 |
| Igor Jesus | 1 |
| Nikola Milenkovic | 1 |
| Alysson | 1 |
Head to Head
Nottingham Forest FC Form
2026-04-30
Nottingham Forest FC
1–0
Aston Villa FC
W
2026-04-24
Sunderland AFC
0–5
Nottingham Forest FC
W
2026-04-19
Nottingham Forest FC
4–1
Burnley FC
W
2026-04-16
Nottingham Forest FC
1–0
FC Porto
W
2026-04-12
Nottingham Forest FC
1–1
Aston Villa FC
D
2026-04-09
FC Porto
1–1
Nottingham Forest FC
D
Aston Villa FC Form
Predictions
Prediction accuracy
4 / 4
1.29
Nottingham Forest FC xG
Expected Goals
Dixon-Coles · Bivariate Poisson · Neg. Binomial · Elo
1.01
Aston Villa FC xG
I would bet for:
Under 2.5 goals 60%
Match Result
✓ CorrectActual: Nottingham Forest FC win
Both Teams to Score
✓ Correct
Avg goals/match: 2.3
Actual: No — clean sheet
Over / Under Goals
✓ O/U 2.5| Line | Over | Under | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ± 0.5 | 88% |
|
12% |
| ± 1.5 | 67% |
|
33% |
| ± 2.5 | 40% |
|
60% |
| ± 3.5 | 20% |
|
80% |
| ± 4.5 | 9% |
|
91% |
Double Chance
Nottingham Forest FC or Draw
74%
Draw or Aston Villa FC
55%
Nottingham Forest FC or Aston Villa FC
71%
Half-Time Result
✓ CorrectActual: Draw at HT
Correct Score
✓ In top 12
1 – 1
14%
0 – 0
12.3%
1 – 0
Actual
0 – 1
9%
2 – 1
8.1%
2 – 0
8.1%
1 – 2
6.3%
0 – 2
4.9%
2 – 2
4.2%
3 – 1
3.5%
3 – 0
3.4%
1 – 3
2.2%
Asian Handicap — Nottingham Forest FC
| Handicap | Nottingham Forest FC covers | Push | Aston Villa FC covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| -2.5 | 7% | — | 93% |
| -2 | 7% | 12% | 81% |
| -1.5 | 19% | — | 81% |
| -1 | 19% | 22% | 59% |
| -0.5 | 41% | — | 59% |
| +0.5 | 72% | — | 28% |
| +1 | 72% | 17% | 11% |
| +1.5 | 89% | — | 11% |
| +2 | 89% | 8% | 3% |
| +2.5 | 97% | — | 3% |
Clean Sheet
Nottingham Forest FC keeps clean sheet
37%
✗
Aston Villa FC keeps clean sheet
28%
✓
Predictions are statistical estimates based on season form, H2H history, and a Poisson model. Not financial advice.