Aston Villa welcome Nottingham Forest to Villa Park for the UEFA Europa League semifinal second leg with the tie at 0-1 on aggregate. Forest took the first leg 1-0 at the City Ground thanks to a Chris Wood penalty, leaving Unai Emery’s side needing a home win to keep their European run alive. Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg is in charge. On Sofascore, you can follow live momentum swings, lineups when confirmed, and every Sofascore Rating as the night unfolds.

Where the tie stands

The first leg was tight across most metrics. Possession was split 50-50, Forest led xG 1.56 to 0.79, and both goalkeepers made four saves. Forest edged total shots 11 to 10 and had more touches in the box, 23 to 19.

Aston Villa will like the second‑half pattern from the first leg, where they produced four shots on target to Forest’s two. Still, Forest’s penalty conversion and 32 clearances under pressure told the story. It’s a narrow lead, not a settled tie.

Numbers to know

Across this Europa League campaign, both teams have scored 24 goals. Villa have needed 13 matches to reach that mark and have conceded just 8, with 7 clean sheets. Their average possession is 54% and passing accuracy 86%.

Forest’s path features 24 goals in 15 matches, 12 conceded and 7 clean sheets. They shoot more often than Villa, with 243 attempts and 93 on target, plus a league-high 87 corners among these two. Chance quality has been there too, but 32 big chances missed is a theme to watch.

Villa’s big-chance profile reads 26 created and 22 missed. Set pieces and fast breaks could matter: Villa have 63 corners and 15 fast breaks, while Forest have 87 corners and 16 fast breaks so far.

Predicted lineups and shapes

Based on current projections on Sofascore, Villa are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 with Emiliano Martínez in goal; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Lucas Digne at the back; Lamare Bogarde and Youri Tielemans as the double pivot; Jadon Sancho, Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendía supporting Ollie Watkins up front.

Forest are projected in a 4-4-2 with Stefan Ortega in goal; Jair, Nikola Milenković, Morato and Neco Williams across the defense; Omari Hutchinson, Nicolás Domínguez, Elliot Anderson and Dilane Bakwa in midfield; Igor Jesus partnering Chris Wood in attack.

Several projected starters bring strong Sofascore Ratings this season: Tielemans 7.27, Konsa 7.21 and Martínez 7.16 for Villa; Williams 7.19, Anderson 7.16 and Milenković 7.11 for Forest.