Aston Villa will look to pull off a memorable comeback when they host Nottingham Forest in their Europa League semi-final second leg this week.
The two English clubs meet again on the European stage on Thursday, with Forest boasting a 1-0 aggregate lead thanks to Chris Wood’s decisive penalty in the first leg.
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Chris Wood fired Forest to a first-leg win with just his sixth goal of the sesonCredit: Getty
This was the Reds’ first appearance in the last four of a European competition in 42 years, and they will head into this week’s decider at Villa Park full of confidence.
Vitor Pereira’s side are currently a 10-match unbeaten run, and enjoyed an empathic 3-1 league win over Chelsea on Monday.
This moved them within touching distance of Premier League safety, with Forest now six points clear of the relegation zone.
It’s a very different story for Villa though, who fell to a third straight defeat against relegation-threatened Tottenham in their last match.
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But with Unai Emery heavily rotating his team against Spurs with this week’s Europa League second leg in mind, he will now be hoping for the perfect response from his team on home turf.
Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Date and how to follow
This Europa League semi-final second leg will take place on Thursday, May 7.
Kick-off at Villa Park is set for 8pm UK time.
talkSPORT will have live coverage of the action in Birmingham, presented by Natalie Sawyer.
Commentary will come from Jim Proudfoot, former Aston Villa captain Andy Townsend and ex-Nottingham Forest midfielder Jack Colback
Tune in to talkSPORT through the website via the live stream or find us on DAB digital radio through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
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Villa have lost their last three games in all competitionsCredit: Getty
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The match will also be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage set to get underway at 7pm.
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Goals from Igor Jesus and a double from Taiwo Awoniyi gave Forest a huge win over Chelsea in their last matchCredit: AFPAston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: Team news
Villa are currently monitoring the fitness of Amadou Onana ahead of Thursday night’s second leg clash.
The midfielder was forced off in the first leg at the City Ground with a calf issue, and missed his side’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday.
Captain John McGinn also sat out the Spurs clash with a knee issue, but is expected to be involved against Forest.
Elsewhere, Villa remain without Boubacar Kamara and Alysson, with the pair both unlikely to feature before the end of the season.
As for Forest, skipper Morgan Gibbs-White is a major doubt for the trip to Villa Park, after he suffered a gruesome-looking face injury after clashing heads with Robert Sanchez against Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Sangara and Ola Aina will undergo late fitness tests ahead of Thursday night.
It also remains to be seen whether centre-back Murillo will be fit in time, who is still battling to come back from a muscle injury.
Nicolo Savona, John Victor and Callum Hudson-Odoi will not feature again this season, while Dan Ndoye is expected to miss the Villa clash.
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Unai Emery has come under-fire for heavily changing his team over the weekendCredit: GettyAston Villa vs Nottingham Forest: What has been said?
Villa boss Emery defended his decision to make seven changes to his side that lost against Tottenham, with this week’s Forest second leg clearly playing on his mind.
The Spaniard came under heavy criticism for opting to rotate his squad, with talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan laying into him and his players for their display in their last match.
After the Spurs defeat, Emery said: “I have been here for three and a half years now and I don’t forget how we have done everything.
“Some of these players were winning several matches in a row earlier in the season.
“Now we have 58 points after 35 games of the season. I am so proud of the players. I am not linking the changes in the team to the results.
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“We also lost at Nottingham Forest and at Fulham last weekend. When we beat Sunderland here I also made changes, but because we won, nobody said anything.
“We lost here because Tottenham played better than us. We must be realistic about everything. I don’t change my mind or my point of view.”