Aston Villa need to rediscover their form and fast if they are to overturn a first-leg deficit against Nottingham Forest and reach the Europa League final. Villa have lost their last three matches, going down 1-0 at Fulham and 2-1 at home to struggling Spurs in the Premier League either side of last week's 1-0 European loss at Forest .
However, they do not have to look too hard for reasons to be optimistic. Prior to their current troubles, Villa had won six of eight matches in all competitions, losing only to Manchester United . They are also unbeaten at home against Forest since 1994, while in four-time Europa League winner Unai Emery they have a master of his craft at this level.
Forest don't have to worry about their form heading to Villa Park . Vitor Pereira 's men have not lost in 10 games, winning seven, including each of their last five, to pretty much banish any Premier League relegation fears and keep alive hopes of European glory. We expect this match between the two former European champions to be close, but think it will be Villa who will progress in the end @ EVS, which is our opening Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest prediction. We would not be surprised either if the tie goes all the way to penalties, where Villa are 10/1 to come out on top.
Betting Odds
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Betting Odds – UEFA Europa League 2024/25
Result | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
Aston Villa | 7/10 | 58.8% |
Nottingham Forest | 10/3 | 23.1% |
Draw | 11/4 | 26.7% |
*Odds are correct at the time of writing, but subject to change.
Aston Villa are 7/10 to win this game. Nottingham Forest can be backed at 10/3, and the draw on the night is 11/4.
How to Watch
How to Watch Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest
The Europa League semi-final second leg is scheduled to begin at 20:00 BST on Thursday and will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 .
Form Guides
Aston Villa Form Guide
Villa may not be in the best of touch right now, but they can fall back on a magnificent record at Villa Park . Emery 's side have won 17 of their last 19 European home fixtures, including each of their last nine, and earlier this season reeled off an 11-match winning streak on home soil, beating Manchester City , Arsenal , Manchester United and Forest in the process.
That 3-1 win over the Tricky Trees made it seven victories in 10 meetings since they last lost at home to Forest , when goals from Stuart Pearce and Steve Stone earned the visitors a 2-0 Premier League win some 32 years ago. Villa have only scored once in their last three matches, Emi Buendia 's 90th-minute consolation against Spurs , but they had netted 12 goals in their previous four home matches.
Eight of those were scored by Ollie Watkins , Morgan Rogers and John McGinn , and you can get 11/8, 7/4 and 3/1 respectively for them to notch again looking at the Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest odds.
Nottingham Forest Form Guide
Forest , who are 3/4 to reach their first European final since winning the European Cup in 1980, have been transformed under Pereira and are the most in-form team in the Premier League right now. The manner of their recent success is similarly impressive, thrashing Burnley 4-1 and Sunderland 5-0 while also beating Spurs 3-0 and Chelsea 3-1 away from home.
The only dropped points in their last five games came, coincidentally, against Villa , with the two Midlands clubs sharing a 1-1 draw at the City Ground last month. Igor Jesus took his tally for the season to 16 with his penalty at Stamford Bridge on Monday, and he has now scored in three of his last four starts. The Brazil striker is also the joint-leading scorer in the Europa League this term with seven goals and is 7/2 to notch again at Villa Park , while Chris Wood , who struck the only goal of the first leg, is 7/1 to open the scoring.
Morgan Gibbs-White could be a good option to get on the scoresheet @ 3/1 in our Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest best bets, with the England World Cup hopeful sure to cause Villa plenty of headaches. Gibbs-White has scored 16 goals in all competitions this term, among them Forest 's consolation in January's loss at Villa Park .
Betting Tips
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest Betting Tips
Ollie Watkins Anytime Goal @ 11/8
Morgan Gibbs White Anytime Goal @ 10/3
Simply click/tap on the above betting tips to add to your betslip.
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