Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Thu 30 April 2026 7:00, UK

Nottingham Forest will attempt to topple Europa League favourites Aston Villa on Thursday when the two sides meet at the City Ground.

The Premier League rivals secured their places in the semi-finals earlier this month with victories over Porto and Bologna respectively, and both will be confident of success in Istanbul next month.

Forest, the hosts, have been in impressive form of late, with the Garibaldi revitalised under Vitor Pereira.

Villa, by contrast, suffered their first defeat since returning from the international break on Sunday, as Unai Emery’s side were beaten 1-0 by Fulham.

Ahead of the first leg, Villa News takes a closer look at the key details.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa

Thursday’s bout will be the third between the two sides this season, with Villa taking four points from Forest in the league.

Suffering defeat for the first time this month on Saturday, the B6 outfit are looking to get back to winning ways as they travel to Nottingham on Thursday.

Those not making the trip across the Midlands will be able to catch the action via TNT Sports 1, or TNT Sports Ultimate with the appropriate Ultra HD hardware.

At the same time, fans will be able to keep a keen eye on who they could meet in the final, with Freiburg’s trip to Braga televised on TNT Sports 2.

For supporters on the move, streaming options will be available on the Sky Go app and HBO Max.

Aston Villa must get over away rut

Concerningly, Villa have won just one of their last eight on the road – a run stretching back to the beginning of the year.

As they look to take an advantage back to Villa Park, Emery’s side must avoid a similar fate, against a Forest side coming off the back of nine goals in two matches.

The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the City Ground just over two weeks ago, with the B6 outfit missing a handful of chances.

This time, they must aim to pick up a strong result away from home, ensuring that Nottingham Forest don’t make the most of their home advantage, before the pair lock horns once again at Villa Park a week later.