Credit: Imago

James Barker

Wed 29 April 2026 17:10, UK

Matty Cash will be fearing the referee appointment of Joao Pinheiro for Aston Villa‘s Europa League semi-final first leg match with Nottingham Forest given his disciplinary record.

Unai Emery‘s put their Premier League run-in on pause this Thursday, as they continue their quest for European glory.

A trip to the City Ground awaits midweek, as Aston Villa take on Nottingham Forest for the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, with a ticket to Istanbul for the final on offer awaiting the victor.

Defeat to Fulham last time out has robbed Villa of the ideal preparation ahead of it, whilst Forest are flying at the moment, with thumping wins over Burnley and Sunderland in their last two outings.

So, Villa are in for a tough test against Forest over the two legs, and that might just have been made even more difficult for one or two players on both sides too, as a card-happy referee will be in the middle on Thursday night.

Who is the referee for Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa?

Referees have the ability to really dictate the pace and alter the direction of any given game of football.

Whether that’s through keeping their cards in their pocket, or dishing them out on the regular; the type of referee you have in the middle is a vital component for how a match plays out.

It’s been announced that Portuguese referee João Pinheiro will be the man in the middle for Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa’s Europa League semi-final first leg tie this Thursday night.

The 38-year-old has been a FIFA listed referee since 2016, and has been taking charge of games in Portugal’s Liga Portugal (top flight) since 2015.

However, the Braga-born Pinheiro is developing a bit of a reputation for not being shy to get his cards out, as detailed in an X post from Aston Villa Statto.

In just the 2025-26 season alone, Pinheiro has brandished 127 yellow cards and seven red cards from only 27 games as referee.

That works out an average of 4.7 yellow cards per game, and 0.25 red cards per game respectively, meaning both sets of players are going to have to be on their best behaviour at the City Ground.

Why Cash is Aston Villa player most at risk of Pinheiro’s wrath

So, who are the Aston Villa players that are most likely to have their names added to Pinheiro’s book on Thursday?

Well, perhaps the one at most risk is Cash, as he leads the way for yellow cards this season, with eight in the Premier League and a further two in the Europa League respectively.

Cash was poor against Nottingham Forest when the two teams last met on 12 April, and so Forest’s dangerous forward line will be looking for a repeat performance against him if the 28-year-old plays.

Meanwhile, as per FotMob, no Villa player has more fouls committed per 90 than Emi Buendia this season with 2.1, and he’s also been shown seven total yellow cards this term.

Morgan Rogers (eight) and John McGinn (six) are two other likely candidates for a booking, whilst Ezri Konsa is the only Villa player to be shown a red card in the Premier League this season, so he needs to be careful too.