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
6 games this season
🟨 3.0/game
⚽ 11.8 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 Plzen | 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' Nottingham Forest FC have kicked off against Aston Villa FC. Both sides are eager to make an early statement.
- 5' Chris Wood needs to be pretty careful with his discipline considering 4 Yellow cards this season.
- 10' We miss some good tackles and strikes. Is there anyone on the field to put the game back to action?
- 15' We are waiting for someone to take the initiative. Who will be the first to commit to attack?
- 20' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 25' The midfield battle is intense right now. Both Nottingham Forest FC and Aston Villa FC are fighting for every inch of the pitch.
- 30' Nottingham Forest FC are keeping things exceptionally tight at the back. It will take something special to break them down.
- 35' Nottingham Forest FC is showing some good football. However, Nottingham Forest FC are ready to play back every minute. It might result in some problems for the home side. The game will hardly remain goalless.
- 40' The referee has had an easy afternoon — neither side has been overly physical in the tackle.
- 45' A tactical chess match is unfolding here. The question is which manager blinks first.
- 50' A quiet spell here at City Ground, Nottingham. Aston Villa FC seem content sitting deep and soaking up pressure.
- 55' Another substitution for Aston Villa FC to replace Amadou Onana by Lamare Bogarde on 55 minute.
- 60' Supporters expect more eagerness from Igor Jesus, as he is very good at scoring at City Ground, Nottingham with 1 goals in the last 1 games.
- 65' The energy levels are beginning to show. Vítor Pereira might look to freshen things up shortly.
- 70' The travelling Aston Villa FC supporters hardly appreciate their team being pressed down to the backline.
- 71' Brilliant from the ! Chris Wood makes it 1-0 with a superb finish on 71.
- 75' Zach Abbott is replacing Ola Aina for the Nottingham Forest FC side.
- 78' Youri Tielemans is having his name booked by the referee on 78.
- 78' Another change for Aston Villa FC made on 78 minute. Lucas Digne leaves to be changed by Douglas Luiz.
- 79' The Aston Villa FC bench stirs into life. John McGinn is withdrawn and Jadon Sancho gets his opportunity.
- 84' The Array continues to deliver drama. Both Nottingham Forest FC and Aston Villa FC are desperate not to drop points on matchday .
- 89' Nottingham Forest FC are enjoying more possession but struggling to find a way through a disciplined Aston Villa FC backline.
- 90' The whistle greets Igor Jesus as he departs to be replaced by Ryan Yates.
- The referee blows the final whistle. Sensational lose for Aston Villa FC.
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 |
|---|---|
| Tammy Abraham | 4 |
| John McGinn | 4 |
| Ollie Watkins | 3 |
| Lewis Grabban | 2 |
| Douglas Luiz | 2 |
| Emmanuel Dennis | 1 |
| Anthony Elanga | 1 |
| Ashley Young | 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.