Villa Face Forest in Europa League Semi-Final Second Leg Showdown

Aston Villa must overturn a one-goal deficit when Nottingham Forest arrive at Villa Park for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final clash. Chris Wood's penalty in the first leg at the City Ground has left the Midlands side with work to do if they're to reach the final scheduled for the end of May.

The victors will face either Braga or Freiburg, with the Portuguese outfit holding a 2-1 advantage from their opening encounter in Germany.

Match Details

Thursday's encounter gets underway at 20:00 BST on May 7, with coverage available on TNT Sports 1 and HBO Max from 7pm. BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT will carry full radio commentary.

Villa's Injury Concerns

John McGinn should return after being rested for precautionary reasons ahead of the Tottenham fixture. However, Amadou Onana's calf injury sustained during the first leg means Lamare Bogarde is expected to partner Youri Tielemans in midfield. Boubacar Kamara continues his long-term absence, while Ross Barkley and Alysson cannot feature having not been included in the Europa League squad registration.

Forest's Fitness Questions

Morgan Gibbs-White's participation remains uncertain after suffering a deep laceration from a head collision with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez during the Chelsea victory. The 26-year-old has been fitted with a protective mask should he receive clearance. Zach Abbott also clashed heads in that match but should be available. Late fitness assessments will determine whether Ola Aina, Murillo, Ibrahim Sangare and Dan Ndoye can feature. John Victor, Willy Boly, Nicolo Savona and Callum Hudson-Odoi are definitively ruled out for the campaign. Additionally, Taiwo Awoniyi and Luca Netz, despite recent appearances, weren't registered for European competition.

Betting Markets

Villa are favoured at 76/100 to win the second leg, with Forest quoted at 19/5 and a draw at 29/10. In the overall qualification market, Villa sit at 11/10 with Forest at 3/4. For the tournament outright, Villa remain slight favourites at 15/8 compared to Forest's 2/1, while Braga are 9/2 and Freiburg 5/1.

Form and Prediction

Forest arrive in remarkable form, unbeaten across their previous ten matches and victorious in their last five. Villa, conversely, have stumbled with three consecutive defeats, including a 2-1 loss to Tottenham where they fielded a rotated side. Yet Unai Emery's pedigree in this competition cannot be overlooked—the Spaniard has claimed the trophy four times previously with Sevilla and Villarreal. Villa's home record in Europe this season is immaculate: six wins from six at Villa Park, yielding 14 goals whilst conceding just three.

A narrow Villa victory at 13/5 odds appears the likely outcome, forcing the tie into extra time. Ollie Watkins, who has netted in three of his last four home matches against Forest, is priced at 8/5 to score.