Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Sun 12 April 2026 6:00, UK

Nottingham Forest welcome Aston Villa to the City Ground on Sunday, with the visitors looking to keep their Champions League push on track.

Both sides go into Sunday’s encounter having been in Europa League action on Thursday.

Forest would play out a 1-1 draw with Porto, while Villa beat Bologna 3-1, bringing a crucial lead back to Villa Park.

Ezri Konsa would open the scoring for Unai Emery’s side in Emilia-Romagna, before a second-half double from Ollie Watkins secured a big win for the travelling Villans.

Making the trip across the Midlands, the B6 outfit are looking for three points as they strive for Champions League football.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

With the Premier League paused for the FA Cup quarter-finals last weekend, it will have been almost three weeks to the day that Villa last played a minute of league football.

While form somewhat goes out of the window given the extended break, Emery’s side returns having got back to winning ways in the Premier League last time out, with goals from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins securing a 2-0 win against West Ham.

Alongside the race for Champions League football, Sunday’s clash will massively impact the fight at the other end of the standings.

With Villa taking on relegation-threatened Forest, they will be raring to go as they aim to climb out of the scrap, while Tottenham take on Sunderland at the same time.

Fans not travelling to the City Ground will be able to catch the action live on Sky Sports Premier League, with the Ultra HD option also available. The Sky Go app is also available for those on the move.

BBC Radio WM will also provide live commentary.

Aston Villa must carry Bologna momentum

Having beaten Bologna once this season, Emery’s side turned up at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara looking to bring a big result back to the Midlands.

And that, they most certainly did, with the B6 outfit now all-but through to the semi-final stage of the competition.

Now, the task is to bring this momentum into the league, with Villa searching for a Champions League place.

With form dipping throughout February and early March, the Villans were able to get back on track before the international break.

However, they need to keep up pace as it is starting to become incredibly packed in that area of the table.

With Youri Tielemans and John McGinn back in action, Emery has two of his star men back – the next job is to set Villa up for a strong end to the season, while the Europa League title remains in view.