Europa League 2025-2026: Aston Villa-Nottingham Forest, the likely lineups

This evening at 9 p.m., Villa Park hosts the return leg of the Europa League semifinal between Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. They will restart from the 1-0 first leg in favor of the guests, a minimal lead that obliges Unai Emery’s team to win in order to overturn the qualifying argument and fly to the final in Istanbul. The Villans will rely on the field factor to unhinge the host defense, while Nottingham will try to defend the result and end a truly amazing season, which has gone from salvation struggle to the possible European dream in just a few months. It will be a tactical confrontation between the international experience of coach Emery and the compactness of Pereira’s men, with a historic goal at stake for both clubs.

Unai Emery is banking on a very solid and compact defensive team led by Martinez between the posts and the Konsa-Torres pair in defense. Tielemans will act in the median, while the trident McGinn, Rogers and Buendia will have the task of triggering bomber Ollie Watkins, the only offensive reference to try to unhinge the opponents’ defense and center the comeback.

Pereira deploys a closed formation ready to break away on the counterattack. With Ortega in goal and the physicality of Milenkovic in the center of defense, the red-and-whites will rely on the quality of Gibbs-White in midfield. In attack, the Wood-Igor Jesus pair will try to exploit every space to secure the first leg lead and fly into the final.

The likely lineups

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Bogarde, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins. All. Unai Emery.

Nottingham Forest (4-4-2): Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Hutchinson, Dominguez, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Igor Jesus; Wood. All. Pereira.