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An exciting all Premier League clash awaits in the Europa League on Thursday night as Nottingham Forest welcome Aston Villa to the City Ground for the first leg of their semi-final.
This will be the first time two English teams meet in a European semi-final since 2008/09, and both sides will be desperate to reach the final.
Forest come into this having thrashed Sunderland 5-0 away from home to almost secure their Premier League safety, while Villa were beaten 1-0 at Fulham to put a small dent in their hopes of finishing in the Champions League spots.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our Today's betting tips page for more of our expert Europa League predictions!
Contents
Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa key stats
- Forest are unbeaten in eight games in all competitions (W5, D3).
- Villa have won just once in four away matches across all competitions (D1, L2).
- Villa are unbeaten in the two previous H2Hs this season (W1, D1).
Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa preview: Honours even after first leg?
| Forest | vs | Villa |
|---|---|---|
| 16th | Position | 5th |
| 39 | Points | 58 |
| 41 | Goals For | 47 |
| 45 | Goals Against | 42 |
| 9 | Clean Sheets | 9 |
| 17th | Home Rank | 4th |
| 11th | Away Rank | 9th |
It seems to be fourth time lucky for Forest in terms of their managerial appointments this season as Vitor Pereira is guiding them towards Premier League safety.
The Tricky Trees are five points clear of the relegation zone with just four games left, and have hit a rich vein of form at the right time.
They have also been strong in the Europa League, knocking out established European heavyweights Porto in the quarter-finals.
However, Villa will provide a stern test for them, with an added bit of bite given it is an all-English affair.
The Villans will fancy their chances of progressing given they are above Forest in the Premier League table, and also finished above them in the league phase of the Europa League.
They also picked up four points over their two Premier League meetings earlier this season, and no manager has won the Europa League more than Unai Emery.
However, anything can happen in knockout football, and so Villa will be wary of Forest's threats heading into the City Ground.
They also lost on the road last time out to Fulham, and so the first leg may not be straightforward for them.
Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa form guide & betting tips
| Forest | vs | Villa |
|---|---|---|
| D-D-W-W-W | Form | W-D-W-W-L |
| 12 | Goals For | 12 |
| 3 | Goals Against | 6 |
| W-D-W | Europa League form | W-W-W |
Whispers predicts: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Aston Villa
Forest are installed as slight 156/100 favourites with bookies to win, while Villa can be backed at 19/10.
However, with both teams in relatively good form and given it is only the first leg, we are backing a Draw at 23/10.
In terms of our other bets, BTTS - Yes at 4/5 seems a safe one given it has come through in the last five H2Hs.
Over 3.5 goals at 27/10 is our final pick, given two of both teams' previous three games have featured four goals or more.
Overall, we are predicting a 2-2 stalemate, which is available at 14/1.
> BTTS - Yes at 4/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Draw at 23/10 | Likelihood: Possible
> Over 3.5 goals at 27/10 | Likelihood: Possible