Last Updated: May 1, 2026 | 06:55 GMT
Aston Villa‘s form has taken a hit across multiple fronts as they followed up a 1-0 Premier League loss to Fulham with a defeat by the same scoreline to Nottingham Forest in their Europa League semi-final first leg.
Unai Emery‘s men have a chance to make amends for the defeat at the City Ground when they host their Midlands rivals in the second leg on 7 May.
Before then comes a home clash with Tottenham, with Villa still having work to do to secure Champions League qualification.
A top-four – or indeed top-five – finish and silverware in the Europa League would mark this as one of the greatest seasons in the West Midlands club’s proud history.
Aston Villa’s Europa League prospects hanging in balance
Aston Villa’s 2-0 victory at Villa Park proved decisive in seeing off Lille and booking their place in the Europa League quarter-finals. The result underlined the growing confidence around Unai Emery’s side as they continue to balance Europa League ambitions with a strong campaign in the Premier League.
Next up was Bologna. The Italian side have impressed domestically, but they were dismantled by a truly efficient Villa side on their own stomping ground.
Villa not only defended their 3-1 lead going into the second leg, but they smashed the Italians further to add four goals onto the aggregate score. Nottingham Forest were next up, but the Villans fell to a 1-0 loss at the City Ground in their first leg through Chris Wood’s second-half penalty.
Villa must now overcome that deficit in the second leg to set up a final with either Braga or Freiburg.
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