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 (2025/26)
- Aston Villa FC 8 games · 21 pts (2025/26)
Match Details
- Referee Joao Pedro Pinheiro
- Assistant 1 Bruno Jesus (Portugal)
- Assistant 2 Luciano Maia
12 games this season
🟨 1.5/game
⚽ 6.3 goals/game
🟥 2 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
67%
Both Teams to Score
H2H (12 games)
H2H (12 games)
58%
Over 2.5 Goals
H2H history
H2H history
44%
Clean Sheets
Nottingham Forest FC this season
Nottingham Forest FC this season
60%
Clean Sheets
Aston Villa FC this season
Aston Villa FC this season
Nottingham Forest FC are 13th (14 pts). Aston Villa FC are 2nd (21 pts).
Goal Timing (This Season)
Nottingham Forest FC
0-15
1/1
16-30
–/–
31-45
–/1
46-60
–/1
61-75
1/–
76+
–/2
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Aston Villa FC
0-15
–/–
16-30
2/–
31-45
5/–
46-60
3/–
61-75
–/1
76+
4/1
■ Scored ■ Conceded
Top Scorers (This Season)
Nottingham Forest FC
| Igor Jesus | 7 G | 1 A |
| Morgan Gibbs-White | 3 G | 3 A |
Aston Villa FC
| Ollie Watkins | 5 G | 2 A |
| John McGinn | 5 G | 1 A |
| Emiliano Buendia | 4 G | 5 A |
Events
Match Events
- 0' What a night it is going to be! Nottingham Forest FC welcome Aston Villa FC for this crunch clash at City Ground, Nottingham.
- 5' While players are taking a pause, let’s have a look at their stats. The teams met 2 times this season with Aston Villa FC winning 50% of all matches.
- 10' England international Omari Hutchinson has been a key figure this campaign — 0 goals and 0 assists in the Array this season.
- 15' named a 4-4-2 earlier, and opted for a 4-2-3-1 in response. A fascinating tactical duel is developing.
- 20' A moment of individual brilliance could settle this. Both teams are waiting for that decisive action.
- 25' Nottingham Forest FC seems to be on a short break. The game is mainly concentrated in the center. It’s high time they got back to action. Otherwise, it looks like a goalless game.
- 30' 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.
- 35' Spectators are craving for more action. Both teams play very cautiously. They need to put some more energy.
- 40' It looks like no one’s ball. Aston Villa FC is used to counterattacking playing. None of the sides are ready to take the lead.
- 45' Aston Villa FC looks like a favorite considering 1 games won in last 2 matches with its main striker John McGinn scoring 2 goals.
- 50' Matchday of the Array and both teams know exactly what is at stake tonight.
- 55' Aston Villa FC make a change. Amadou Onana trudges off to be replaced by Lamare Bogarde on 55 minutes.
- 60' The tempo has dropped considerably in the last few minutes. Unai Emery will be considering his options from the bench.
- 65' Aston Villa FC are keeping things exceptionally tight at the back. It will take something special to break them down.
- 70' Amadou Onana has been relatively quiet despite scoring 10 goals in his last 268 appearances.
- 71' Chris Wood does the damage! The net is bulging and Nottingham Forest FC surge ahead!
- 75' Nottingham Forest FC ring the changes. Ola Aina has done his job and it is now time for Zach Abbott to step up.
- 78' Youri Tielemans is having his name booked by the referee on 78.
- 78' Douglas Luiz has so much to prove this time. He replaces Lucas Digne on 78 minute.
- 79' Jadon Sancho is replacing John McGinn for the Aston Villa FC side.
- 84' While there is no rush on the pitch, let’s have a look at some stats. Emiliano Buendia made 368 appearances and scored 40 goals. He is very likely to score a goal today.
- 89' Both teams are passing the ball around with high level of urgency. Aston Villa FC needs to do something about it to get closer to the goal.
- 90' Another change for Nottingham Forest FC made on 90 minute. Igor Jesus leaves to be changed by Ryan Yates.
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Tammy Abraham | 4 |
| John McGinn | 4 |
| Ollie Watkins | 3 |
| Douglas Luiz | 2 |
| Lewis Grabban | 2 |
| Orel Mangala | 1 |
| Emiliano Buendia | 1 |
| Joao Carvalho | 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.