80s Party at the City Ground!
The clash between Forest and Villa in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals feels like a trip back to the early 1980s. Back then, both clubs celebrated their greatest international successes to date in the European Cup.
The clubs now want to build on those glorious days, and we’re here to give you a tip for the match between Nottingham and Aston Villa! The hosts have regained their form just in time for the end of the season. They’ve gone eight competitive matches without a loss, and the tense situation in the domestic league has at least brightened slightly for the “Tricky Trees,” who are now five points clear of the relegation zone with four rounds remaining.
In contrast, the visitors, sitting fifth in the Premier League, are on course for the Champions League. Given the upturn in form of Coach Vítor Pereira’s squad and the home advantage, we still expect a close contest. Against this backdrop, for the first match in the Europa League semifinals between Nottingham and Aston Villa, we’re predicting both teams will find the net.
Furthermore, we believe Ollie Watkins is capable of scoring for the visitors. The striker is in impressive form and has found the net in four of the seven-time English champions’ last six competitive matches.
Moreover, he has been involved in a goal in each of his last four Europa League matches for Aston Villa (4 goals and 1 assist). A truly historic achievement—until now, Wayne Rooney was the only English player to score or assist in more consecutive matches (since 2009/10) at the international level.
The redhead achieved this in seven consecutive matches for Manchester United between February 2012 and November 2016. However, the home side also have a deadly goal-scorer in Igor Jesus, who feels particularly at home in this competition.
With seven goals, the Brazilian is the joint top scorer in the current Europa League. In light of this, the odds on the 25-year-old scoring in the match between Nottingham and Aston Villa are also worth considering.
Nottingham Forest – Aston Villa Head-to-Head Record
The two clubs have already faced each other twice in the Premier League this year, with Nottingham recording a home draw while Villa secured a 3-1 victory. Thanks to these results, the visiting team from Birmingham has been unbeaten in their last three meetings (2-1-0).
However, Forest’s recent home record against the Villa Park side is impressive: the seventh-place finisher from last season’s Premier League has not lost to the Villans in four matches in front of their own fans (2-2-0).
This is also the first European semifinal between two English teams since the 2008/09 Champions League. Back then, Arsenal and Manchester United faced off, and the “Red Devils” prevailed 4-1 on aggregate.
Nottingham Forest – Aston Villa Prediction
Every “Reds” fan knows the Brian Clough statue in Nottingham. Under the legendary manager, Forest won the European Cup—the predecessor to today’s Champions League—twice in 1979 and 1980.
Now the hosts are aiming for a European trophy again for the first time, although they still have to face Aston Villa in the semifinals. Coach Unai Emery’s visiting side could long be described as the stronger team this season.
Currently, however, we consider the teams to be on equal footing due to improved form on the part of the City Ground side. This resurgence is primarily due to a stable offense. The 1978 English champions have scored at least once in their last seven competitive matches, and we expect the hosts to adopt an attacking mindset in the first leg as well.
Forest knows that a draw, for example, would likely be insufficient to secure a spot in the final ahead of the difficult second leg in Birmingham, where Forest has lost its last four matches. However, since the visiting team—which finished sixth in the Premier League last season—is also in good form offensively, we believe the betting odds for both teams to score are a good bet in the match between Nottingham and Aston Villa.
