A crucial all-English Europa League semi-final second leg takes place at Villa Park on Wednesday evening, as Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest. Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 local time, with the visitors holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the first match.
That first-leg victory was secured by a 71st-minute penalty from Forest striker Chris Wood. The narrow scoreline means the tie remains wide open, especially given the pedigree of the manager in the opposite dugout.
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is a legendary figure in this competition, having won it a record four times as a coach. He lifted the trophy three consecutive years with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and again with Villarreal in 2021. His experience in high-stakes European knockout ties could prove decisive.
The winner of this semi-final will advance to the Europa League final, where they will face either Braga or Friburgo. The Portuguese side Braga currently lead that tie 2-1 after the first leg.
For fans looking to follow the action, the match will be broadcast live and exclusively on Sky Sport, Sky Sport Calcio, and Sky Sport 4K. Streaming options are also available via the Now platform and the Sky Go service.
The probable lineup for Aston Villa, managed by Unai Emery, is expected to be a 4-2-3-1 formation: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Sancho, Rogers, Buendía; Watkins.
Nottingham Forest, under the guidance of coach Nuno Espírito Santo, are likely to set up in a 4-4-2 system: Ortega; Aina, Milenkovic, Rodrigues Da Silva, Williams; Hutchinson, Dominguez, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Maciel Da Cruz, Wood.
Based on reporting from Tuttosport.com - Calcio.
